In this Case Study we speak to Muhammad Iqbal, an IT Support Engineer for Auctus Management Group, as he explained how he got his start in the IT Sector, the support he received through the Talent Match Black Country programme and his role now in the company.
Hello Muhammad Iqbal, what were you doing before you started the Black Country Talent Match programme?
“Before I started the Talent Match programme I was working for an IT Support company where I studied a Level 4 Apprenticeship in Network Engineering. Here I gained most of my IT knowledge and experience as it was a proper hands on IT role that consisted of various IT issues that can occur. I also learnt the main skills required to be an IT Engineer such as Server Management, Office 365 etc. Unfortunately I didn’t complete my apprenticeship due to the provider going into administration. However, I have recently been given the opportunity to restart my course and complete it within 2 months.
After leaving my job in Supreme Systems I struggled to get myself back into work due to personal reasons. I suffered from anxiety problems and reached out to the job centre where Craig my work coach helped me to find a group called steps to work. This training programme was excellent as they supported me through a lot of my mental health issues and also referred me to Talent Match where I found Margaret Slyfield, who was the reason I am still employed today within the IT sector. Margaret helped me with various issues such as CV writing, job hunting etc.
I was also given free counselling which was funded by Talent Match and helped me overcome various problems I had in my personal life. After this I felt like I was ready to get back into work but then we were struck by COVID which had a massive impact on my life as it did others.”
How did Black Country Talent Match help you the job opportunity at Auctus Management Group?
“Talent Match are a fantastic group that provided me with activities such as go karting, podcast sessions and assault courses to improve my confidence, teamwork and overcome my fear of anxiety. All these activities helped me get myself prepared for a work environment. They helped me write a new CV and look for work. I had weekly meetings with Maggie and she helped me to create a LinkedIn profile. I was referred to AMG by Maggie and they gave me an interview which I was successful in. I had a one month training period which I passed and was offered a full time contract here at the company.”
What is your job role and responsibilities at Auctus Management Group?
“My job role consists of various IT roles and responsibilities, this can include software and hardware related issues. Having great knowledge of different Microsoft Packages, Windows installations and Server Management I have the duties of creating new starters, installing windows on new PC’s and managing users in Active directory. My main job when I started with the company was carrying out an audit on all the IT equipment that belonged to the company. This project was completed and now I make sure all software is up to date and keep the asset list up to date”.
What are your plans for the future, and how will working at Auctus Management Group help with these plans?
“This role at AMG was a great opportunity for me to get myself back into a IT Support role. Being an employee of AMG has helped me top refresh my skills and given me the opportunity to further excel in this role. Dave trusts me to complete the tasks I am given day to day and every time he gives me more senior roles and responsibilities which shows I am moving forward in the role.
The more problems and software tools I am exposed to the better it is for me to improve my skills and learn new things. One opportunity I would like to be given in the near future is having a management role. In would like to be a senior IT Support Engineer that can deal with first hand calls and manage more expert level software and hardware related issues on my own or with minimal supervision.”
Would you recommend Black Country Talent Match to anyone else?
“I would definitely give Talent Match a 10/10 rating. They have helped me so much during my journey of securing a IT role. I highly recommend anyone struggling with any problems to sign up because they almost guarantee you a future and will help you look for your dream job or even help you work towards it.”
