Beginning his journey towards his career in IT at University, Blake started studying towards a Computer Science degree but the style of teaching did not engage his interest. “It was just too many lectures and only a couple of hours a week doing hands-on work. I dropped it in the second semester.” As we spoke, Blake told us how he remembered on the short courses it was all hands-on “It was all learning from doing which is a way easier way to learn IT skills.” Blake joined Techtorium and excelled. Our vocational approach resonated with him, helping him pick up the skills that he would soon be using in the workplace. 

 The work of getting the role with New Era was simple. Blake had kept his CV up to date, been an excellent student and worked closely with our Industry Pathways team. This and our close relationship with our industry partners meant that when we were told that New Era needed a role filled, we knew that Blake would be an excellent candidate for it.  

He told us about how useful the skills he had learned at Techtorium were in his role. Blake notes he uses “A lot of the technical skills, but also talking to Trainers throughout the day, catchups and learning about building relationships really helped.” It is obvious that IT skills are important in the IT industry, but we press home the importance of soft skills and encourage all our students to develop them. 

One of the benefits of many IT jobs is the versatility and job security that they provide. During the second lockdown in August last year, Blake’s work continued unabated, the only change was that he was now working from home. “It was just like when I was studying during the first lockdown. You can work from home, answering people’s questions and accessing their computers remotely if they need it..” As a result of being in an IT role, Blake did not miss a beat. 

In his brief time with New Era, Blake’s career has gone from strength to strength. In the space of half a year, he has risen to be the Help Desktop Client Manager in charge of several schools. He told us about his current station “I’m starting with two new preschools being built, seeing their whole IT set up from the ground up and have just picked up another five who I’ll be meeting with soon..” The magnificent work ethic and soft skills that Blake further developed during his time at Techtorium have been leading him to remarkable things.  

From helping his friends with setting up gaming servers and port-forwarding, to overseeing the IT implementation of new schools, it has been incredible to see Blake develop. We have been thrilled to see how Blake’s career is already developing. When you have a passion, and you find the right place to help you pursue it amazing things can happen.