Surrey Library Colleague joins SAL Apprenticeship programme to gain management skills and boost her career

Our Surrey colleague Lucy is immensely proud to work for Surrey Libraries. She is based at the Woking branch and the library is situated in the heart of the town where residents can enjoy an enviable range of services. Surrey libraries are dynamic and have evolved with the fast-changing pace of technology to stay connected with our residents. Libraries offer free access to computers and Wi-Fi, plus resources activities, such as learning skills for work and business and interactive workshops for families and events, not without mentioning a source for books! Love reading and more with Surrey Libraries.

Recently, Woking Library has become a Warm Hub. These are dedicated locations within the local community where people can enjoy a safe, warm, and friendly environment to enjoy a hot drink, social activity, and good company. A Warm Hub is a good place to get information and advice about energy costs and more.

Along with Warm Hubs in Surrey, libraries are offering a friendly welcome to visitors. No library membership is necessary to access this. Residents can pop in to warm up, grab a free hot drink, read a book, play some games, or have a chat. Find a Warm Welcome Space online.

Lucy works in the Community team. She recently decided to embark on an apprenticeship programme run by Surrey Adult Learning. By attending the course, she has developed skills to strengthen her knowledge base and refreshed confidence and self-belief in her abilities that will energise her in her job role and benefit her team! In her own words below Lucy shares her Apprenticeship journey with us.

My name is Lucy and I work for Surrey Libraries as a Programme and Audience Development Officer. My team supports a network of fifty-two libraries in planning and delivering activities for, and with, our community. We also spend time on outreach and partnership building to create new programmes that support health and wellbeing, learning and skills development, and community cohesion.

I enrolled onto the Level 3 Team Leader/Supervisor and ILM Level 3 Diploma for Managers course to learn more about working with and managing people, and to gain an opportunity to apply for management roles in the service in the future.

I expected the course to teach me a lot about different aspects of management, and it did. It, however, gave me so much more. What I learned about communication, motivation, time management, or managing people in times of change, improved my relationships both at work and in my personal life, my wellbeing, and my life. It also enabled me to move up one pay grade, only halfway through the course.

The provided resources and workbooks have been diverse, from interactive workshops to reading materials and videos, and I gained an incredible amount of knowledge and skills in a short space of time. It has been an invaluable experience really.

I also love the flexibility of the course and support I have been given along the way, including a pause in learning when needed.

Lastly, I must thank my tutor Debbie Davidson who has provided encouragement, praise, and patience when answering all my questions – making the course an extra positive experience.

Find out more about our apprenticeship programme

We are also looking for a Apprenticeship Trainer/Assessor, come join us!

Surrey Libraries

Surrey Libraries is a network of 52 libraries providing reading & learning resources, events and activities, volunteering opportunities, business resources and information, and a wide range of services, including services for health and wellbeing.

For a warm welcome to all, exhibitions, computer help, reading friends, author events, and events for all ages, including free rhyme times and story times, visit their website, follow the libraries on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, or talk to the staff. There's something for everyone.