Meet the Team: Laura Kelly

Name: Laura Kelly

Company Role: Sales Executive and Early Years Tutor

Favourite quote:

“I can’t see a way through” said the boy

“Can you see your next step?”

“Yes”

“Then just take that,” said the horse.

What do you do at PEAK?

I am a new addition to PEAK and will be looking for sales leads within the apprenticeship side of the company. Once my training is complete I will be working alongside Gemma to tutor the Early Years Apprentices. It is important to me that my students feel at ease with me and that I am approachable, relatable but still professional.

What are your credentials/past experience, for working in your position?

I have 11 years experience working within Early years settings and Primary Schools. I worked within nurseries for 9 of those years, where I worked with children from 0-4 and then became the transition lead, helping children to ease into their next stage of the setting. Being the familiar face for the children to help maintain the flow as they moved to each room whilst working closely with parents to make it as smooth as possible for the whole family. My time spent within a school involved working 1:1 with a child with SEN or in small intervention groups with children from reception up to year 5. Although it was extremely difficult to plan for 6 short interventions every afternoon 1pm-3pm, I found the quick turn around a challenge and this pressure is where I excel.

My qualifications include a level 5 in Early Childhood Development, which ultimately lead me to my school career. My most recent position however was a Community Development Delivery Office for a charity called The Bread and Butter Thing. They are a food redistribution charity that rely heavily on donations from supermarkets and large companies like Amazon. My role was to effectively use those donations to redistribute to our members at a small cost, whilst carefully planning meals that could be made with the items chosen for that week. This role also consisted of managing hubs and a fleet of volunteers, whilst ensuring the service was ran smoothly. Engaging with the members of the public was my favourite part of the job. Building relationships, trust and taking an interest in their lives and then picking up our conversation the following week was where I stood out from others. Those small efforts in being interested in others made such a huge difference for the majority of the public and some of my members would start turning up earlier and earlier each week for a catch up before service, it soon became a highlight of the week for some who had little family or friends.

My life experiences have taught me that although certain tasks and hurdles seem difficult initially, to take one task at a time and you soon learn to reach your goals. This moto resonates in all aspects of life for me, whether it be work, college, relationships, friends, or an event etc.

What’s your Archetype?

40% Creative

33% Tastemaker

27% Caregiver

What do you like about working at PEAK/What are you looking forward to when working at PEAK?

I am looking forward to the challenge of being a tutor, the incentives and the work life balance. At present this job enables me to work around my home life and I can’t wait to get into the swing of things.

What’s your background?

I grew up in Newton Hall and Framwellgate Moor in Durham. As I had children at a young age I didn’t feel I had time to focus on my career, just getting by each day was what we focused on. I loved art at school and gained an A at A Level. I am a qualified nail technician and beauty therapist, and worked in the industry for a short period of time before I began to study childcare.

My family impacted me the most, especially my Grandma Doreen. She was the centre of our family gatherings, she would help you with anything, gave advice and offered support daily. Friends have come and gone over the years but a small handful still remain and have been a huge part of moulding me into the person I am today. I have gone through some extremely difficult times in my life, and all of which have made me stronger too. I have spoken previously about what I did before PEAK but what I didn’t mention are my children. I was only 21 when I had my first child Callum. He is now 15 years old, Kyle is 10, and my little girl, Zoey is 7.

My favourite food growing up would have to be my grandma Jean’s Sunday dinner and home made apple pie and extra double chick cream for dessert. We would have it every two weeks when we visited for lunch. I Still love a Sunder dinner, but give me a seafood pasta dish any day!

What are the values that drive you?

I think being positive, honest and reliable are key to not only my role but all aspects of my life. I believe this helps me to achieve the best of my ability and allows people to build trust, which is also crucial within my role as Sales Executive and Early Years Tutor.

Your top 3 favourite Podcasts/Books?

The boy the mole the fox and the horse is a beautiful book of inspirational quotes I have enjoyed reading recently.

I really enjoy listening to a number of Dr Phil podcasts, the Murder and Mystery Analysis episodes that focus on real life events and reasons for behaviours of individuals really interest me.

I have just started reading Little Fires Everywhere by Celest Ng, which was recommended on Reece Witherspoon’s book club I follow on Instagram.

What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?

My middle child races go-karts so most weekend are spend at the trackside all over the country. We have entered him into the Ultimate Kart Championships and the Cadet Kart Championships this year. I also love spending time with friends. Going for coffee and cake or just a long walk into Durham with all of our children.