What was it like joining Novacroft?
My cousin recommended Novacroft to me and I was so happy to join – I was so pleased that I’d made a good impression. It was welcoming from the start, with great support.
How have you grown here?
It was November 2020 – lockdown – when I came on board, as a Contact Centre Advisor. I didn’t expect progression. I come from a background of management, involving a lot of training. I worked for Georgio Armani and L’Oreal as an Account Manager, which involved training staff on our products – some virtual training but mostly face to face.
The Novacroft Training Facilitator role came up and it was an opportunity for me to be hands-on and see what new skills I could pick up. I came through the interview process, was offered the role, and went in with a positive mindset, determined to come out with something new, whether it be skills or knowledge.
Tell us about your role as Training Facilitator…
When I found out that it was a large-scale government project I’d be working on, training classes of trainees to deliver a service to the general public, I was excited. This was an amazing opportunity that doesn’t come along very often.
In the initial training, there was so much to take in, so many materials to go through. We had a huge amount of documents to work through and to bring down to something more digestible.
I wanted to make sure what I took on board was 100% correct and accurate and that I was able to deliver that in the most appropriate and easiest way for my students to take in. I found it difficult at the start of my own learning, and when I started training the trainees, I had around 29 people in my group – I didn’t want my students to feel that difficulty.
We also had a few tech issues to overcome – not everyone was familiar with the meeting software we were using, and remote training was new to us all.
There were many hurdles along the way, but not any that we couldn’t overcome. We faced the challenges head on and we accomplished our goals.
My class of trainees achieved a 100% pass rate on their end of course assessment, following their 8 days of training.
What do you love about the role?
I had a phenomenal group of fellow Training Facilitators. We were all engaging with each other and learning together. We bonded and we worked incredibly hard. We got together regularly, meeting in the virtual coffee mornings and after work. It wasn’t just work, there was a social aspect that lightened everything. We were able to have a laugh. When you see management
coming in and joining in that laughter, you feel part of a family. We were all at the same level.
I’ve had some great support from management – especially from Jordan, Jo, Dan and Daria. Micheal was our Team Manager and he was phenomenal. I was so glad I was on his team.
Ultimately, I learnt a lot from this project and I loved every minute of it.
Kishan is warm and calm, and never fazed. The feedback from his team on training was fabulous.
– Jo Toes, Senior Contact Centre Team Manager and Training Facilitator Project Manager, Novacroft
What are the values that drive you?
Empathy is so important, as is being able to communicate, and listening.
The biggest thing I’ve learnt from this project is about mental health. There are a lot of emotions running during this pandemic, and I’ve learnt about being a mentor and a counsellor, as well as a Training Facilitator. One of my students was upset, so I pulled her into a breakout room and I had a duty of care. It was a realisation for me. Luckily for me, I was able to apply the empathy I’d learned in previous roles, and I had the skills to be able to support that student in the most empathetic way possible.
The biggest thing I’ve learnt from this project is about mental health … I’ve learnt about being a mentor and a counsellor, as well as a Training Facilitator.
Share a fact about yourself!
I love writing. I’m writing a book, based on a true story, but I’m trying to make it fictional. I was also in Sherlock – you can find me on IMDB!
What’s next for you?
I’d love to do more training. I’d love to pass on the knowledge I’ve gained and the skills I have to everyone out there. I’d love to stay at Novacroft too.
There aren’t many companies out there that will treat me like a member of the family like Novacroft does.
#GrowWithNovacroft