Helen Macrae
I have project management experience whilst working in a previous role as a Sustainability Coordinator and so am confident that I have transferrable knowledge and skills that I can share with regard to task management, budgeting, social media, and impact reporting.
My own philosophies align with the mix of staff and student Trustees, this again demonstrates that students have ownership and responsibility and I would imagine staff provide support and guidance as needed in a collaborative and equal way. I have experience similarly when Line Managing Higher Education Placements on their year in Industry, this for me looked more like a Mentorship role, guiding and supporting the students but enabling and empowering them to be decision makers and make the most of a variety of workplace experiences. Many of the volunteering activities, including work with children/young people and outdoor environmental hands-on initiatives is where lots of my past experience lies and so I feel that I could bring some valuable expertise in these areas.
Bringing to the role, Leadership and management experience, collaborative working/mentorship experience with Higher Education Students, project management and budget management experience, 9 years of teaching experience from Primary age to University age, positive, enthusiastic outlook, proactive, efficient, and creative working style, and first-hand experience of volunteering in different capacities and a true understanding of its powerful capability to boost career prospects and enrich the lives of all involved.
I have worked in Education for the last 8 years in various sectors. I had no idea however, what I wanted to do when I graduated and so made a list of all the volunteering opportunities locally that I could find. My first volunteering experience was with Cheshire Young Carers, I absolutely loved this experience. To gain experience for my PGCE application, I volunteered for 2 years with Cheshire Young Carers and worked voluntarily as classroom support one day a week whilst waitressing full time. Once qualified in 2013, I started out as a Primary School teacher working in Ellesmere Port near Chester and Liverpool. I worked in the mainstream classroom for almost 4 years before I moved into outdoor education in North Wales with the environmental education Charity Field Studies Council. I was teaching predominantly A-Level aged students in outdoor Biology and Geography Fieldwork skills. I moved back to South Wales to be closer to family just as the Covid-19 pandemic worsened in March 2020. I took on some temporary roles within Gower College Swansea as a Pastoral Coach and at Margam Park as Education Team Leader before starting with Swansea University in Academic Quality Services in April 2021.
I am thoroughly enjoying working within the University although this has all been from home so far! What I do miss however, is interacting with students! Although incredibly interesting, Quality Assurance is definitely a behind the scenes role in education and I want to engage with learners again in some capacity and the opportunity of Staff Trustee with Discovery SVS seems like a really good opportunity for this.