At Karen Blake Coaching, we’re passionate about providing meaningful work experience in South Wales that builds confidence, practical skills, and future career prospects. Through our partnership with Tydfil Training in Merthyr Tydfil, we welcomed a Business Admin placement to our team.

As part of their role, they explored creative writing, content creation, and the process of publishing to a live website. This blog post is one of their own pieces, reflecting on their journey with Tydfil Training and their placement here at Karen Blake Coaching.

Gaining real-world business admin skills during a South Wales work placement.

Learner Reflection: My Work Experience Journey

I joined Tydfil Training with the goal of learn some new skills and earn a bit of money before starting college in September. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do career-wise I needed work experience on potential fields to make an informed decision, I didn’t want to waste time just sitting around. That’s when I found out about the programme at Tydfil Training that offers work experience to all 16–18-year-olds who aren’t currently in full-time education or employment. It felt like the perfect opportunity to build my confidence.

Tydfil Training helps young people explore different career paths by offering hands-on opportunities in a variety of industries. The idea of working just 21 hours —three days a week from 9am to 4pm—was really appealing. It gave me structure without being overwhelming, and I still had time to focus on other things outside of training.

From the start, the tutors were amazing. They weren’t just there to teach; they genuinely cared. They were polite, understanding, and incredibly supportive. We had loads of interesting and sometimes lively conversations as a group, and I always felt encouraged to speak up and share my thoughts. They taught us all about employee rights and what we’re entitled to as individuals living in the UK. I didn’t realise how important that knowledge was until I had it.

One of the most exciting parts of my journey was getting placed on a work placement early on. I was lucky enough to be matched with Karen Blake Coaching, where I’m now working as a Business Admin. It’s been a fantastic experience so far. I help with marketing and get to be creative by designing social media posts, which I absolutely love. It’s not just about doing tasks—I’m learning about the ins and outs of running a business and how to communicate effectively in a professional environment.

Karen has been such a brilliant person to work with. She’s funny, kind, and really easy to talk to. She makes office life feel less like “work” and more like a team project with a friend. Her office space is so colourful and full of energy—it doesn’t feel mentally draining to be there. It’s actually kind of inspiring.

While I’ve been at Karen Blake Coaching, I’ve also been learning practical skills like touch typing and shorthand, which I know will come in handy down the line. I’ve also taken part in interview preparation sessions where I learned how to present myself and what to expect in different types of interviews. It’s made me feel more confident about entering the job market in the future.

Overall, this experience has been more than just a stepping stone before college. It’s helped me grow, figure out what I enjoy doing, and build a stronger CV along the way. I’m really grateful for the support from Tydfil Training and for the opportunity to work with Karen. It’s been an inspiring and genuinely fun part of my journey—and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who’s unsure of their next steps.

Highly recommend.

— Closing Note from Karen Blake Coaching —

It’s been a pleasure supporting our placement on their journey to develop new skills and explore future career options. Seeing young people grow in confidence and gain hands-on experience is exactly why we value our partnership with Tydfil Training in South Wales.

If you’re a young person looking for your next step, or an organisation interested in offering meaningful work placements in South Wales, we’d love to hear from you. Visit our Work Experience & Training page to learn more about how we can help you build skills for the future.