Vicky Skelton Returns from a Yearlong Secondment in Mauritius
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| Vicky (centre) with her trainees in Mauritius |
Vicky Skelton is an Artwork and Repro Operator working on the Waitrose
account at our Bridgehead office in Hull. She’s just joined the team and her
colleagues are being very helpful and supportive, although Vicky isn’t
technically an SGS newbie.
“When I joined SGS I got stuck in right away,” she says. “Over
time, the company acquired new work and I’ve been involved in multiple
accounts, brands and projects. As the artwork process is already very well
established, it is usually quite similar between teams, so it’s good to have
variety of work. Then the opportunity arose to work on secondment in Mauritius,
so I leapt at the chance.”
Vicky temporarily left her hometown to help with the acquisition
of Diadeis, which is now part of sgsco: “Most of my time was spent training in
a classroom environment, working closely with HR on recruitment and the
training process. I also supported new accounts during their recruitment
period. We had a great team and the management were very supportive.”
Spending a full year there with her partner, Dan, who also works
for SGS, offered more than just a fresh working environment: “One of the best
things was that we lived and worked alongside Mauritians, meaning we had the
time to get to know them and learn their cultures and values. We would have
never gotten that from a two-week holiday. It was very hard to say goodbye, but
we’ve made new friends and so many happy memories from our time there.”
Vicky also says that though she enjoys being a desk-bound artworker
(often stretching her legs to grab a cup of Yorkshire Tea), moving to a
classroom and leading trainees really helped her to develop additional people
skills and improve her confidence: “It’s also given me new perspectives on life
and work. I’d never lived away from home, so to take such a big leap was quite
a challenge. It’s made me realise that we aren’t just confined to one place.”
Despite missing friends and family whilst away, not to mention many
modern conveniences, Vicky and Dan say that they would definitely consider another
placement somewhere in Europe: “I’ve seen a few jobs advertised for Amsterdam,
which could be fun, and there’s a ferry direct from Hull. Who knows what might
come up next?”
Now that she’s working with the Bridgehead team, Vicky says that
it’s good to be back: “What I’ve found strange is it’s actually very much the
same, so it’s nice to have some normality. Hull seems pretty good, there are
plenty of new bars and restaurants which we’re currently working our way
around. Also, lots of building work was finished whilst we were in Mauritius,
such as the Bonus Arena, and there are new developments like the A63 footbridge
– it’s great to see things improving. Aside from family and friends, I missed
my own bed the most, it’s even comfier than I remember.”
We’re very glad to have Vicky back, as she’s always been a
dedicated colleague and her career is going from strength to strength: “SGS put
a big focus on print and colour management, my skills here have definitely increased
since joining the company. It’s a great place to work and there are always
opportunities for career development.”
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