My name is Michael Ratcliffe and I am employed at The Circle as a Facilities Assistant. I found out about the Circle through my work coach at The Wise Group whose name is Sam Coleman. I joined the Circle because I wanted to try different types of work experience as I didn’t really know what I wanted to do in life. Before I was at The Circle, I was doing a three-day work placement at DC Thomson doing some admin work but when I finished DC Thomson and started volunteering at The Circle as a Facilities Assistant it was a change of career from what I did before.
When I started at The Circle I was quiet and didn’t really know what to expect because It was different to what I did before but I got support and guidance from the caretaker Alex Thomson who showed me the ropes of what tasks would need to be completed and he would look out for me and he would make sure I am safe when it comes to lifting heavy equipment and anything else. The whole Circle team supported me and looked after me.
In my job there’s a normal day in terms of checking and restocking the toilets, emptying bins and hoovering. Other times I might be setting up rooms for events and testing the fire alarm and other things as well that I would not do every day. Sometimes I have very busy days and other days maybe not be so busy, but I always look and find something to do by looking at my daily sheets which is a reminder for me in case I forget at the top of my head.
I like speaking to the Circle team and the tenants and whoever comes into the building, I enjoy most of the tasks I complete on a daily basis and I enjoy making people laugh when it comes to my team and the tenants and whoever in general. I enjoy being at The Circle and working at The Circle what a fantastic team. Because I am a Facilities Assistant, I would hope to achieve a higher-up position of Facilities Manager, managing someone or managing a group of Facilities Assistants by making sure they are looked after and are completing their task to a higher quality standard.
SCVO Job information:
Michael’s role is funded through the Community Jobs Scotland scheme, which is delivered by the SVCO working in partnership with the Scottish Government and Scotland’s third sector;
https://scvo.org.uk/jobs/community-jobs-scotland
CJS creates employment opportunities for young unemployed people within third sector organisations throughout Scotland – particularly those who are more disadvantaged in the labour market.
Read more about Michael through our case study by Sam Coleman https://www.thecirclecic.org.uk/a-case-study-by-sam-coleman-of-the-wise-group/