Dedication pays for Ethan

 Dedication pays for @barnsleycollege student Ethan

Barnsley College student Ethan Sumner is continuing to build his employability skills and knowledge of the IT sector despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Level 3 Information Technology Foundation Diploma student is balancing his studies with a work placement at Rebel Base Media, a Sheffield-based podcasting technology specialist.

Ethan has been working from home as a Development Operations (DevOps) Engineer for the company during the lockdown. He develops and manages features on Rebel Base Media’s flagship product Captivate, the world’s only growth-oriented podcast host.

Ethan said: “I have coped with the lockdown well as I’ve managed to schedule my day incorporating daily exercise, College work and my work placement. Team collaboration is a big part of how we work as a business, so this has been implemented remotely to carry on creativity within our products and benefit our customers.

“My most used piece of equipment is my iPad and Apple pencil for team meetings as we don’t have large white boards at home like we do in the office. Luckily, we were a remote-first business anyway so the transition was quite easy and painless.

“I have also continued with my professional development by continuing to upskill myself and develop my CV.”

Kieran McKeefery, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder at Rebel Base Media, added: “Ethan has been learning basic web development skills and knowledge and is progressing pretty quickly through a modular course we’ve given him. He’s also involved greatly in our team catch-ups every week and has so far given us some pretty awesome ideas moving forward.

“Like all of us in the company, Ethan has shown that he can continue to successfully deliver on projects and tasks while working remotely.”