What are your current job responsibilities? Currently, I'm working my way around the factory learning the full process of building our tenders, from composites to fitting the engines to designing parts in CAD. I’ve also been lucky enough to learn how to make the silicone bags that are used in our infusion process. This is a very specialised process and I'm one of only a few people in the company who know how to manufacture them. I’m also doing some work for our Manufacturing Engineering team which is such an exciting opportunity as I'm learning so much that I wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to. I love to get involved in processes and efficiency improvements. What were your interests at a young age, and how did they guide you to your current position?
What inspired you to join the industry? Much to my parents' exasperation, I was the ‘why?’ kid. I wanted to know everything! My nan and grandad’s house was always full of weird and wonderful things. I could often be found digging through cupboards, looking for something new and interesting to tinker with. I’ve never liked throwing things away, so I will always try and fix something first and I enjoy the satisfaction of making something work again or even finding a different use for it. I think something that also drew me to this industry (which maybe I shouldn’t admit) is that I love proving people wrong. With manufacturing and engineering being male-dominated, I feel like I have a duty to my children to show them and others that women can be great assets to manufacturing and engineering. Hopefully, with all the hard work that lots of people are putting in, women of the future won’t have to feel like they need to prove themselves in these environments. Did you undertake any specific education or training for your career? If so, what did you study, and were there any subjects or courses that significantly influenced your career direction or success? Upon leaving school in 2008 I had absolutely no clue what to do, so I thought I’ll just go to 6-form until I figured it out.
(Photo courtesy of the Department for Education)
I saw that there was a talk on engineering and dragged my friend along with me. I was sold, but unfortunately, there were no other subjects available to me that fit with engineering, so I picked a couple of other random things just so that I could attend. For various reasons I quit after a year, but had regrets and proceeded to Google engineering jobs for years until in 2021, I jumped head-first into a level 3 Engineering Technician Apprenticeship. I was working as a teaching assistant at a special educational needs school and a lovely lady who worked alongside me told me she was leaving to become a police call handler - something she had wanted to do for years and years. Her bravery to start a fresh career later in her life gave me the courage to do the same! The training I’ve received from the MTC Training at Oxfordshire Advanced Skills has given me a solid foundation to start my career. I’ve learnt so much during my apprenticeship, and it is not even always the most
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