Matthew Dickson, from Queensferry High School in Edinburgh, enjoyed a four-week paid internship at Edinburgh Zoo with his mentor Gavin. Here, Matthew explains how the experience gave him the confidence, skills and knowledge to kickstart a rewarding career in joinery.

Hands on experience

Before my internship at Edinburgh Zoo I didn’t feel confident talking to new people. Having no previous work experience, I wasn’t sure what would be expected of me in the workplace.

I worked with the Property and Estates team. I really enjoyed getting hands on experience with joinery in a real-world setting and found it very different from anything I had been able to do in school. My favourite moment was working with the team to design and create a feeding device for an anteater. The project gave me the chance to develop my team working and communications skills which I had previously struggled with.

The support of my mentor

My mentor Gavin was really helpful throughout my internship. He supported me in the creation of my final project and reassured me when I felt nervous about presenting it. I felt like I could talk to him about anything, and he would always offer support and useful advice.

When I first met Matthew he was so nervous he barely spoke. But during his internship, through interacting with his colleagues, his confidence in the workplace grew. This was evident in his final presentation where he demonstrated his newfound confidence and knowledge of the joinery trade, I was extremely proud. Matthew became one of the team here at Edinburgh Zoo and I wouldn’t think twice about hiring him in the future.

Gavin Whigham, Property and Estates Manager, Edinburgh Zoo

I feel closer to achieving my goals

This experience has definitely changed me, by being put into a real-life work environment I’ve become a much more confident communicator which I know would help me in any type of job. It has also confirmed to me that I would really enjoy a career in joinery, and because I’ve had the chance to develop my workplace skills and knowledge within that trade, I feel more confident about being able to achieve my goals. This experience has brought me closer to making my future career happen.

I would 100% recommend a young person to join the Career Ready programme, I am a much more confident person because of it and know what I want to do in life.

Get involved today and help more young people like Matthew kickstart their futures.