On the Friday 13 March, The Mayor of Lewisham came to visit all the apprentices at both the Albany and its sister venue, the Deptford Lounge. Our apprentices, Simone Gayle (Community Arts Apprentice) and Kavon Everett (Cultural Venue Operations Apprentice) let us know how the visit all went:
The Mayor, Steve Bullock, came to get a feel of what each of our job roles entails and to get a feel of who we are as individuals. He asked us what apprenticeships we are doing, what have we been apart of since we have started and how our apprenticeships will benefit us in our future careers.
Kavon: I explained to him that I am the Operations Apprentice and I work a lot with the running of the building; making sure everything is in place, that rules and regulations are being followed and also working closely with the Duty Managers. This involves setting up rooms for events and conferences, showing potential clients around the building and many more things.
My role is quite flexible. One day I could spend the whole day in the office, the next I could be working front of house. I also work closely with Simone Gayle, who is the Community Arts Apprentice, with social media planning for our Facebook and Twitter accounts, which we have weekly sessions with the Marketing Coordinator at the Albany. We also made a portfolio for the Mayor of all the events that we’ve worked on and planned, for example Meeting Mr. Boom! And organising the big red bow on our building for our 3rd birthday.
I have learnt a lot since starting my apprenticeship and have gained a lot of skills such as events planning and marketing. I enjoy my role as Operations Apprentice and the diversity that comes with it. One day I could be in the office and the next working front of house. After my apprenticeship, I hope to take the next step in cultural and community based work.
Simone : I explained to the Mayor that I am the Communtity Arts Apprentice at the Deptford Lounge, which involves social media planning and scheduling alongside Kavon and the Marketing Coordinator at the Albany. Additinally, updating the website and general administration work. I mentioned that I work closely with Kavon being a part of the operational team, such as contructing risk assessments and working on events.
As Kavon mentioned above, we both worked together on building a portfolio for the Mayor so he can see what we have organised or participated in to get a more clear picture. I also showed him the seasonal event that I organised at the very beginning of my apprenticeship and the involvement of Katherine Bradshaw, the Community Arts Apprentice at the Albany, and also, with a former apprentice, Ciara.
I am really enjoying my apprenticeship as I have learnt a lot being here, such as organising events, to learning how to use systems such as WordPress, Artifax and our box office system, Spektrix. After my apprenticeship, I would love to work in a theare and get into events management, education or front of house.