Jobhop Jobhop's blog : From An apprentice To The EcoCube Officer

Interviewers note

Here at Jobhop we like to interview people who love their jobs and work at fab companies.

Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Matthew Beckett about his job as The EcoCube Officer at EcoCube, how he got the job as well as a few other questions.

What is the EcoCube?

The EcoCube is a purpose built training centre which is run by Broadland District Council. The centre opened in 2012 and is has Eco Features such as high insulation levels (triple glazing), solar panels, rainwater harvesting and solar photovoltaics.

Can you explain what EcoCube Training is?

We run just over 50 different training courses out of our EcoCube from Health & Safety, Personal Development, Starting a New Business, Microsoft Office, Social Media & Online Skills, as well as other Events. We also have a Kitchen and Laboratory at our centre. As well as running courses, all our rooms are available to hire for meeting rooms or training.

How did you become the EcoCube Officer?

I started out with Broadland District Council in 2010. I progressed from being an administrator and doing an apprenticeship, to moving to the Ecocube and learning how the centre works. When a member of staff left, the opportunity arose for the position of Ecocube Officer.

Is there a particular path you’d recommend for others to take if they wanted to do something similar?

I would definitely recommend for young people who are looking for a job to do an apprenticeship. It was a great way to learn on the job as well as getting valuable employment experience. It helped having a great team around me who were always happy to help me.

What would be a typical day be for you?

A typical day would be once I arrive in the morning, make sure everything from the room, reception area and general appearance of the centre is presentable for people attending courses. I would make sure all the refreshments are available to delegates and everything is ok with the tutor so the course can be delivered smoothly. I would then welcome delegates to our centre and do introductions so they’re familiar with everything in the centre. Once the course has started, I could be dealing with a range of tasks such as taking bookings, general requests, people looking for more courses or departmental information, invoicing for courses, statistics regarding our courses or all of these. As well as the tasks mentioned, I would make sure the centre looks clean at all times for our delegates, as well as making sure the lunches are served on time to the courses. Once the courses have finished, I would then tidy the reception area again and make sure the rooms are all laid out for the next days training courses.

How important is customer service in your role?

Customer Service is extremely important to my role, and to me personally. I always try to offer good customer service, people appreciate the service a lot more when everything is made easier for them. If it was the other way round, I would feel happier going somewhere where I got good customer service, so from my personal experiences I try to pass this onto the customer. I try to achieve this by being as helpful as possible with any request, and I try to give the customer as much information as possible. Customer Service is incredibly important at the EcoCube, we all like to be as informative about the centre as possible so people feel as comfortable as possible with us and their environment.

What is the most interesting part of your job?

My most interesting and my most favourite part is putting a programme together every 6 months for our training courses. This then goes out as an e-book and in leaflet format, I like the logistical part of this, putting it all together and trying to slot in which courses will run in what room on a certain day, along with tying this in with the availability of the room and tutors.

Matthew, what’s your number one tip for anyone who would like to do a similar job?

My number one tip is with regards to apprenticeships. I feel strongly about how good an opportunity they are for young people to get a job and further their skills within a work environment, having been an apprentice myself. I would recommend talking to the local council to see if they offer or any employers they know apprenticeships or talking to a careers adviser at school/college.

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From Apprentice To Officer Matthew Beckett