Ben Merchant

Experience

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  Scottish Football Association

  Jul 2016 - Jul 2016

  Media Work Experience

  I undertook a week of work experience at the Scottish FA with the Chief Executive at the time. • Worked in the media department where I was given the task to set up the Scottish FA Snapchat account. I designed match day filters and made a presentation to the team about how to engage young people like myself using social media• Shadowed the Chief Executive at the time for a day visiting the youth development centre and attending a conference

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  Hope Pastures

  Oct 2016 - Jan 2017

  Horse and Donkey Sanctuary Volunteer

  As part of my Bronze Duke of Edinburgh award, I volunteered at Hope Pastures on Saturday mornings. I mucked out stables, refilled the water and food containers in the stables, tidied the barn and lead horses out to the fields. This was my first role of responsibility which enabled me to develop my teamwork, communication, commitment and interpersonal skills.

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  Spooner Industries Ltd

  Aug 2017 - Aug 2017

  Engineering Work Experience

  I completed a week of work experience at Spooner Ltd where I worked as a CAD design draft engineer. • Learned the basics skills required on AutoDesk 360 and AutoDesk Revit• Had a tour of the shop floor to learn about the different manufacturing methods and systems that were being used• Learned about how to work in an engineering team for the first time

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  Bradford Grammar School

  Sept 2018 - Jun 2019

  I volunteered to coach squash to pupils in younger years who were taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme Due to a high number of students wanting to study Product Design lower down the school, I volunteered as a teaching assistant on a Wednesday afternoon. I helped students lower down the school with CAD work as well as CAM operations such as laser cutting and CNC routing.

  • Volunteer Squash Coach

    Sept 2018 - Jun 2019

  • Volunteer Teaching Assistant

    Sept 2018 - Jan 2019
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  THE CHAPEL ALLERTON CLUB LTD.

  Oct 2018 - Sept 2022

  Since becoming a squash coach, I have developed my time management skills, problem-solving skills, interpersonal skills, written and verbal communication skills and commercial awareness. This has allowed me to build positive relationships with the children I coach, their parents and my fellow coaches to ensure the children I'm coaching are learning to play a sport as well as learning life lessons such as problem solving. I helped organise three England Squash junior tournaments; One major Silver tournament and two Bronze tournaments

  • Squash coach

    Jan 2016 - Sept 2022

  • Tournament Coordinator

    Oct 2018 - Nov 2019
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  Luxury Flooring and Furnishings

  Jul 2019 - Jul 2019

  Warehouse Assistant

  I took up some temporary employment in the Luxury Flooring warehouse where I worked on a floor board finishing machine. This role enabled me to learn about warehouse operations whilst developing my teamwork, communication and commitment skills.

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  Parkrun

  Jul 2019 - Aug 2019

  Parkrun Volunteer

  I volunteered at my local parkrun where I marshalled areas of the course and helped hand out and collect finishing tokens. This role enabled me to develop my interpersonal skills and team work skills.

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  Loughborough Sport

  Oct 2019 - Jun 2024

  As a Loughborough university performance athlete, I volunteered as a test subject for an ISAK qualification course which involved parts of my body being measured. From speaking to the people on the course, I learned a lot about anthropometry which I could link to certain aspects of engineering and design.

  • Sports Scholarship Athlete

    Oct 2019 - Jun 2024

  • ISAK Course Subject Volunteer

    Oct 2019 - Oct 2019
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  Water To The World

  Jul 2020 - Nov 2022

  Founder

  Water To The World is a social enterprise that aims to end the African Water Crisis. It is a continuation of my A-Level Product Design coursework project and my first attempt at setting up a business of my own. The setup involved me undertaking the following tasks:• Coming up with a company name• Designing a logo• Designing and building a website• Setting up social media accounts • Completing final development work on the product using Siemens NX11 • Making a launch video for the final prototype • Reaching out to companies in an attempt to form partnerships Show less

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  Loughborough University

  Aug 2020 - Jun 2024

  Following a year of little activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I took over the AU Squash Club Chair role. In this role I coordinated club activity for the 21/22 academic year alongside university staff and fellow committee members whilst completing my third year of study and continuing to train as a performance athlete. Notable achievements from this year included:- Increased membership from 76 members to 93 members - The creation of the Coaching Secretary committee position and the reconfiguration of the coaching pathway to make coaching more accessible to all members- The creation of a new inter-university competition format for non-BUCS players- Entry of a new women’s BUCS and local league team and the expansion of the size of women’s squash at the university - Successful transition of the club from the old courts to the newly built courts with minimal disruptions- Linking the club with potential sponsors for the 22/23 academic year- The employment of an external coach to run sessions once a week for all AU teams- The creation of a club alumni group to hopefully organise events in the futureI was pleased to have been shortlisted for club chair of the year at the annual AU Ball and awarded club colours following my efforts in running the club during the 21/22 academic year. Show less I was voted in as the squash club Vice-Chair for the 2020/2021 season. This role allowed me to work closely with other club committee members, the members of the squash club and Loughborough Sport staff to implement positive changes to the club. This year was highly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic which required constant planning and updating of documentation. Despite the difficulties generated by the pandemic, this role enable me to develop the following skills:- Short term and long term planning within a team - Working to guidelines- Communication with large organisations such as England Squash, Loughborough Students Union and Loughborough Sport- Composing official documentation such as risk assessments in line with professional work place standards- Running and coordination of events such as trials Show less I volunteered as a fresher helper for Hazlerigg-Rutland Hall during freshers week. This role enabled me to meet new people and develop my confidence, interpersonal skills, commitment, and communication skills. This role involved:•Receiving online first aid, safeguarding and mental health training •Helping the freshers and parents move possessions into flats•Helping the hall committee set up events•Attending all freshers events and ensuring social distancing guidelines were adhered to•Giving a campus tour and a tour of town•Sober duty on certain evening events Show less I took part in the IDEA (Innovation Driven Enterprise Academy) organised by Loughborough University. I signed up for this optional summer program to learn more about entrepreneurship and gain experience in setting up a viable business. I worked as the sole engineer in a group with three students from Loughborough's School of Business and Economics. We received mentor sessions for six weeks from university lecturers and guest entrepreneurs. Over the six weeks, my group and I did the following:- Identified a gap in the market for a potential business opportunity- Branding and marketing- Designing of a user interface for a mobile application- Completing cost analysis and a timeline for the business- Pitched our business idea to a panel of angel investorsThe skills I developed were:- Primary and secondary research- Communication (was all remote through teams with people from different countries)- Marketing and logo design- GUI (Graphical User Interface) design- Time management and commitment (had to balance the project with my summer coaching job)- Critical thinking- Fundamental financial analysis- Confidence and public speaking Show less

  • Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering Ambassador

    Feb 2020 - Jun 2024

  • Volunteer Squash Coach

    Sept 2019 - Jul 2022

  • AU Squash Club Chair

    May 2021 - May 2022

  • COVID-19 Campus Patrol Volunteer

    Mar 2021 - Jun 2021

  • AU Squash Club Vice Chair

    Apr 2020 - May 2021

  • Fresher Helper

    Sept 2020 - Oct 2020

  • Loughborough Enterprise Network IDEA (Innovation Driven Enterprise Academy) Program Participant

    Aug 2020 - Sept 2020
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  Wates Group

  Sept 2022 - Sept 2023

  Design Management Trainee

  12 month industrial placement in Design Management at Wates Construction working on the LaMB (Life and Mind Building) at Oxford University.

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  University of Oxford

  Sept 2022 - Jun 2023

  Head Squash Coach

  Lead Squash Coach at Oxford University. Having coached for squash academies and on a freelance basis, this was my first time running my own program. The role involved:- Coaching the four university teams twice a week each- Putting together a program of training blocks each with a specific focus- Managing players whether that be their training loads, any struggles they had on or off court and pushing each player to be the best they could be- Attending the annual varsity match with the Men’s and Women’s Blues and Squirrels teams to advise players during matches Show less

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  The Grammar School at Leeds

  Sept 2024 - now

  Squash Coach
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  Wates Group

  Sept 2024 - now

  Design Management Trainee