Work Experience Week
At HWDT, we’re passionate about engaging with our local community and creating opportunities to get involved in marine conservation.
One way we do this is by welcoming work experience pupils from Tobermory High School. This year, we were delighted to host two fantastic young people who spent the week immersed in life at HWDT; from working in our office and visitor centre to getting a behind-the-scenes look at our research vessel, Silurian. Read about their experience below.
“Hello! We are students from Tobermory High School and we recently spent a week been doing our work experience with the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust. We would love to share what we have done with you.
On Monday we had an introduction to the work of the Trust and how they monitor cetaceans in our Hebridean waters. We participated in a talk for guests from a tour group where each of us chose a biofact to present and talk about. Between the two of us we talked about a dolphin’s ear bone and a piece of baleen from a whale. This developed our communication skills by engaging with people, building up our confidence and widening our knowledge on whales, dolphins and porpoises.
The following day we went to the office and learnt about the work that happens behind the scenes of a small charity such as complying with GDPR (lots of shredding!). Later we went to the Hebridean Whale Centre on Main Street and completed a stock count which is essential to keep track of products for the retail area. This involved us using teamwork skills to organise items and come up with effective methods to make our work more efficient.
“Emily and Erin were a fantastic addition to the team for a week. They were keen to find out what sort of roles were available in a small charity and undertook all tasks cheerfully and diligently. ”
Halfway through our placement we were in the Hebridean Whale Centre again where we created a new window display, allowing us to focus on the more creative side of the centre. We then learnt about the kinds of products in the retail area and how to run the till. When the retail area opened, we interacted with customers furthering our confidence when talking to people. We also became guinea pigs to test out some children’s games for a new family activity. It was really fun playing with people from our community, although it did get quite competitive! Throughout the day we improved our communication skills with the public which gave us useful practice in a retail and visitor focused environment.
On Thursday we were able to help and take part in a whale watch walk at Glengorm. We set up the app – Whale Track – to record any sightings. Although we didn’t spot anything we were able to send data to the Trust and were reassured that even no data is good data, and we did end up spotting some cute dogs that were brought on the walk! Afterwards, we had the opportunity to go on the Trust’s research boat, Silurian. Both activities showed us how data is collected out on excursions on the research vessel and by the community using Whale Track. We then looked at how marketing is used within the Trust to catch people’s attention and spread awareness of the charity and their work.
And now on Friday we are writing this blog to share everything we have learnt with you. We have developed many useful skills for our future. Overall, we have greatly enjoyed the experience and learning about the different aspects of the trust. We would love you to come down and learn more about our ocean’s wildlife, vast diversity and meet the excellent people who work here!
Thank you for reading this and thank you to the amazing staff who made this such a fantastic experience! “
It was a real pleasure to host two wonderful young people from our community during their work experience, good luck Erin and Emily in whatever you decide to do!