Debbi Francis
Debbi Francis, Digital Marketing Manager at Global Action Plan .
Global Action Plan is an environmental charity. Established by the company CEO Trewin Restorick in 1993, they work with businesses, schools, charities and communities. Global Action Plan believes that when people act together, more significant and meaningful changes take place.
With the addition of Future Jobs Fund recruit Amy Sharples, there are now seven members in the marketing team for Global Action Plan.
The company has a steady stream of volunteers and interns. They are a very popular choice for volunteers who are interested in protecting the environment, and making a positive difference.
As a fairly small charity doing a very large job, Global Action Plan always need more help. They chose to recruit using the Future Jobs Scheme as it represents a wonderful opportunity for the company and for the young people they are able to employ. Debbi describes it as a “win-win situation”.
Three job roles were created for the Future Jobs Fund – the role of Marketing Assistant was given to Amy Sharples. Amy is supporting the team, working across a wide range of activities, including events, promotion of EcoInteractive exhibits and helping Debbi with digital marketing.
Initially Amy was considered for a couple of positions at Global Action Plan. One was a role in Climate Squad, the youth volunteering programme, and the other was within marketing. Global Action Plan was very impressed by Amy’s enthusiasm for their organisation and the work they do. They also liked the fact that she had experience of working in PR and is an able writer, which is a useful asset in any marketing team.
Up to date, Amy is doing exceptionally well in her new role. She’s picked up everything really quickly, and is a fantastic support to the team. The team is always very busy but with Amy on board they have been able to work far more strategically. She uses her initiative, and is described as “an absolute pleasure to work with”.
“We’re delighted that the Future Jobs Fund and Striding Out have enabled us to employ Amy. She’s a real asset to the team and to the organisation as a whole. With her help and the other young people we employ we’re making sure that Global Action Plan is recognised as one of the foremost environmental charities.”
Amy Sharples is a 25 year old Biology Graduate. The Future Jobs Fund managed to help Amy become Marketing Administrator for Global Action Plan. Amy’s ambition is to have excellent expertise within digital marketing.
Amy faced two main challenges when job hunting –
- The timing of her job seeking which began just as the recession was taking hold
- The amount of competition she had to come up against when applying for jobs
She decided to take up her current role at Global Action plan due to having a real interest in environmental issues. She also felt that the marketing element fitted in perfectly with her previous experience in Public Relations.
Amy’s role entails supporting the marketing team, which includes activities such as event organisation, the promotion of EcoInteractive exhibits plus digital marketing and website maintenance.
Amy hopes to constantly improve in her job in order to reach her full potential and to be a real asset to the team. She is learning a whole range of new skills within digital marketing and how it works in the charity sector.
With regards to the coaching provided by Striding Out, Amy finds it a really helpful way to benchmark her progress.
"Future Jobs Fund has helped me find my ideal job and I’m so grateful for the opportunity it has given me. My job is challenging, but I love it. The environment is really friendly and nurturing and most importantly there’s a fantastic team spirit here."
