It’s Careers Week and we want to shine a spotlight on former Scouts who have gone on to have amazing careers.
Scouts have walked on the moon, rowed across oceans, scaled the highest mountains. They have been prime ministers and Oscar winners, authors and inventors, World Cup heroes and scientists.
The opportunities are endless, and futures are bright for our Scouts!
Meet Huw Irranca-Davies, a former Scout and now an Assembly Member of the National Assembly of Wales. We caught up with Huw to learn a little bit about his time as a Scout and how it helped him in his career.
When were you a Scout?
“I was a Cub Scout when I was eight years old, and then moved up into Scouts later.”
What Scout group were you a member of?
“I was a member of The 2nd Lliw Valley Scout Group in Gowerton.”
How did being a Scout help you gain skills that you now use in your career?
“My work as a politician is based around public service and giving something back to people and our communities. It’s about using our skills and time for others. That’s what the Scouts ethos is too, and it has stuck with me throughout my life!”
How did being a Scout give you skills for life?
“As a Scout you learn to be outgoing, confident, how to work as part of a team as well as being able to take initiative and act independently. Scouting gives you the resilience which comes from challenging yourself, failing sometimes, and picking yourself and others up again. It also taught me the importance of doing what you enjoy, with friends who enjoy the same things.”
What would be the one piece of advice you’d give to someone going into your field?
“Due to the nature of politics, there will always be a mix of positive and negative situations and the resilience that Scouting taught me has definitely been something I have carried in to my career as an AM. Scouting also teaches you to always have a sense of humility and try and imagine what it is like to be in the other person’s shoes.”
What was your favourite thing about being a Scout?
“Definitely being able to spend so much time outdoors! I’m still a very outdoorsy person, enjoying nothing better than heading off into the hills walking or cycling and seeking adventure in the great outdoors. That love of adventure was definitely developed in the Scouts, through practical aspects like learning map-reading and survival skills, and also building the personal confidence to challenge myself.”
