Nils sitting at the office table on his first day
Hello! My name is Nils Schwab, and I’m an 18 year old from Austria. I work at the Austrian Patent Office and currently, I am on a five-week traineeship in Belfast working at TrainingMatchmaker.com and Watson & Co. Chartered Marketing with Chartered Marketer and Marketing and Customer Service Trainer Christine Watson. This traineeship offers me a fantastic chance to improve my skills in marketing, graphic design and customer service. So, when my first day finally arrived, I met Christine, who greeted me with a welcome package of Northern Ireland delicacies including famous Tayto cheese and onion crisps and Irish wheaten and soda bread from her local bakery – the Windsor Bakery in Banbridge. I had never received a welcome package before, so I was quite surprised. Over a cup of english breakfast tea, she walked me through all the things I would be learning and aspiring to achieve in the coming weeks. From that moment, I knew the four weeks in this small Belfast business were going to be packed with new things to learn and a ton of courses. Nils's office table with a welcome package and a laptop neatly arranged.But what are my learning plans? 

My learning Plan consists of a lot of things:

  • Mastering Canva:
As a marketer, visual content is key, and Canva is a powerful tool for creating eye-catching graphics. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be working a lot with Canva and using the paid for Canva PRO version of the digital design tool. I will find out more about all the functions that it has to offer, like designing social media posts, making presentations, editing photos and videos and even ‘bulk design’ integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI). I have been advised that Christine is delivering some lunchtime learning webinars on Canva for the Go Succeed Grow programme that I plan to attend and also that Canva has a YouTube channel in case I need help as I practice using this tool to produce various visual outputs.   
  • WordPress: 
WordPress is the platform that this website TrainingMatchmaker.com and the Watson and Co. Chartered Marketing website – www.watsonsmarketing.com is built on. My work placement host and Trainer Christine will teach me how to add content to the world wide web through website. I have been tasked to write and publish new blogs and also to update old blogs.
  • Free Photography and Videography courses with Today At Apple: 
There are numerous free courses offered at the Apple Store. I plan to attend two courses at the Victoria Square Apple Store in Belfast city centre. One course will cover taking good photos on an iPhone, while the other will focus on making videos on an iPhone. Additionally, there are many more free courses available that I intend to attend in the remaining four weeks. I also plan to put these developed photography and videography skills into practice in my work and also as I visit the city and the rest of Northern Ireland. 
Nils packing up all the materials for the training at Carrickfergus Enterprise.
  • Customer Service training at Carrickfergus Enterprise Agency: 
During my first week at Watson & Co Chartered Marketing, I’ll be participating in an important training session. Specifically, I’ll be part of a course focused on delivering excellent customer service which is being delivered by my work host, Licensed WorldHost customer service Trainer Christine Watson at Carrickfergus Enterprise Agency, as part of a funded Tourism Academy. This training is very important for my understanding of how good customer service actually works. It has been delivered to over one million service professionals worldwide and I will receive a certificate and pin badge to wear to tell people that I am WorldHost qualified, informing my internal and external customers that they can expect excellent customer service from me!
  • How to write a Blog:
Since I’ve never written a blog before, I need to learn how to do it. Christine made it clear that I’m going to write a lot of blogs, so now I’m sitting here, writing and publishing my very first blog ever after a 10 minute introduction on how to write and publish a blog delivered by my Trainer Christine in Creative Space at Belfast Central Library – the home of TrainingMatchmaker.com.
  • Marketing your Start Up Business:
I’ll be participating in two very interesting webinars on how to market Up your Start Up Business and how to develop powerful marketing strategies. Chartered Marketer, SOSTAC Certified Planner, Google Square and Qualified Trainer and Mentor: Christine Watson will present the webinar and it’s fully funded by the UK Government levelling up programme as part of the multi million pound investment in Go Succeed. Organised by Enterprise NI this online learning is completely free for everyone across Northern Ireland to attend and benefit from. 

Nils working in the co-working space at the Mallusk Enterprise Hub

  • About me: 
My name is Nils, and I turned 18 just a month ago. In Austria, I work in the Austrian Patent Office as an administrative assistant in the human resources department. I am currently preparing for my A-Level exams in Math, so my afternoons are quite full with studying. When I do find free time, I go to the gym where I train for strength. After moving weights, I usually go for a run to increase my endurance. If I’m not at the gym or studying for my A-Levels, I practise classical dancing, such as the Viennese waltz, boogie, or quickstep. If I still have time after all that, I try to teach myself the piano. You can find me on Instagram.   
  • About Watson & Co. Chartered Marketing:
Watson & Co. Chartered Marketing is a Marketing consultancy and training company. The company was created in the year 2005 by multi award winning and industry experienced Chartered Marketer Christine Watson. Christine delivers excellent and creative marketing to businesses and organisations to help them improve and grow.  
  • About Training Matchmaker: 
Trainingmatchmaker.com curate and publish a wide variety of learning opportunities, both free and paid, available online and face-to-face. Trainingmatchmaker.com aims to inspire learning in all its forms. Training Matchmaker was founded by Chartered Marketer Christine Watson. With more than 10 years of experience as a Licensed Trainer, Christine has personally delivered training to more than 1,000 individuals.
  • About WorldHost:
WorldHost is a top-tier training program known for helping organisations achieve exceptional customer service. Known and trusted worldwide, the program offers a unique, human centred, and transformative approach to training. To date, over one million customer-facing employees have benefited from WorldHost’s customer service training programs.
  • About Erasmus+: 
Erasmus+ is the European Union’s program to enhance education, training, youth, and sports across Europe. It offers opportunities for people to study, train, and volunteer abroad, aiming to improve skills and employability. The program focuses on social inclusion, green and digital transitions, and youth participation in democracy.
  • About Intern Europe: 
Based in Belfast, Intern Europe collaborates with European partners to implement mobility projects under Erasmus+ Lifelong Learning Programmes. They oversee every aspect of participants’ mobility and work placements. Their mobility programmes include providing (high-quality) accommodation options, such as self-catering apartments shared by international participants and homestays with local families.
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