Workplus | Real People, Meaningful Careers
Workplus | Real People, Meaningful Careers
Podcast Description
Workplus uncovers the powerful stories hidden inside ordinary-sounding jobs. Each episode introduces you to the people doing good work and the ripple effects they create for colleagues, customers and communities. Whether you’re leading a team, choosing your first career, considering a change, teaching the next generation, or shaping policy, Workplus offers an authentic glimpse of how meaningful work is happening all around us – and how you can be part of it.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The show focuses on themes such as career paths, vocational education, and the societal impact of meaningful work, with specific episodes exploring topics like the transformative power of apprenticeships and the importance of education reform in preparing students for the future job market.
Workplus uncovers the powerful stories hidden inside ordinary-sounding jobs. Each episode introduces you to the people doing good work and the ripple effects they create for colleagues, customers, and communities.
Whether you’re leading a team, exploring apprenticeships, considering a career change, returning to work, teaching 21st-century skills, or shaping policy around the future of work, Workplus offers an authentic glimpse of how real careers are built, how the skills gap is being addressed and how you can be part of it.
New episodes every Thursday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
How Ordinary People Build Extraordinary Tech Careers
In this inspiring episode of Workplus, host Richard Kirk speaks with Mia, a software tester and apprentice with Teamwork. From full-time mum to tech professional, Mia shares her journey into the software industry, offering hope and insight to anyone considering a return to work or a career pivot. This conversation is filled with practical advice, real-life wins, and powerful reminders that good work is possible, even while juggling school runs and software bugs.
Key Takeaways
• Apprenticeships make tech careers more accessible to parents and career changers
• Remote work is a game-changer for working parents
• Self-taught coding can lead to real jobs in software
• Apprenticeships offer flexible routes to earning a degree
• Software roles go far beyond just writing code
• Testing involves investigative, problem-solving skills
• Real-world work enhances academic learning
• Flexible hours allow better family-work balance
• Women should not be intimidated by tech
• Employers benefit from investing in apprenticeships
Best Moments
00:01:00. “I was sort of ready to get back into work. But I couldn't go back to college full time.”
00:03:29. “That was really inspirational for me. Just like a witness that you can actually go and get yourself a job without official qualifications.”
00:04:28. “I did the application. I wasn’t really sure whether I would get it. But I got an interview and a job.”
00:07:05. “Programing like actually writing code is not the only area you can go into in software.”
00:09:04. “Remote working is fantastic. I think it's like the only good thing that has come out of Covid.”
00:12:14. “You don't have to actually go in. So that is like, that's brilliant. It's a brilliant model.”
00:15:29. “I think women are faced with an impossible choice of having a career or having a family.”
00:18:32. “If you have a bit of an analytical way of thinking, it's really not unachievable.”
00:20:00. “Apprenticeships open the door to those kind of people… who want to upskill into software.”
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