What’s your role at KWL?
I have primary responsibility for all aspects of ICT within KWL. The ICT section may be small, but I believe it’s at the centre of the company’s success.
The main systems we use have all been developed in-house and my role involves the design, development, project management, coding, support and maintenance of those systems.
My main area of technical expertise lies in coding on the Oracle database and toolsets, namely Oracle SQL, PL/SQL, Forms, Reports and Business Intelligence Discoverer.
The role also includes responsibility for the infrastructure, mobile connectivity, security and procurement of ICT software and hardware.
An important part of the role involves researching hardware and operating systems – the aim being to enable KWL to benefit from the latest technology available.
We’ve designed and developed several innovative award-winning solutions using ICT technology to help drive the company forward.
I was part of the original company start-up team working to deliver the ICT infrastructure required to enable KWL to begin trading and hit the ground running on 1st April 2007.
I now have over 32 years’ experience in ICT, over which time I’ve seen some amazing advancements in technology.
A large part of the role involves thinking about the future, planning for changes and designing systems to cherry pick the best advances in technology. There’s always challenges to overcome especially in regards to the advances in the increasingly fast paced consumer technology market and how these can be harnessed to benefit the corporate business systems.
At KWL, I’ve been able to accelerate the pace of change centring on integration, automation and the use of handheld (smartphones and tablet) technology, to help maximise our potential, drive efficiency, meet targets and deliver value for money.
What qualifications have you achieved?
A Higher National Diploma in Computer Studies with distinctions in Mathematics and Statistics, as well as PRINCE2 foundation Project Management accreditation.
What advice would you give to young people who want a job like yours?
The start of my career depended on getting the necessary school and college qualifications, and the opportunity to get the all-important experience.
In my case, the experience started when I got my first job as a temporary trainee computer programmer, which provided the foundations on which I built my career.
I have to say though that a job like mine also requires bucket loads of enthusiasm. Because it’s not a 9 to 5 job – it’s pretty much a 24/7, 365-days-a-year job, which isn’t for everyone! But for anyone with enthusiasm and drive it’s a very rewarding job.
