I left school at 16 years old and enrolled on a 2-year BTEC Engineering course at college in Widnes. I was 1 of only 3 females in the class. My dad is a Mechanical Engineer, mum was a Draughtswoman and my uncle a Project Manager so you could say engineering is in my blood. Whilst at college I managed to gain lots of work experience in multiple companies/industries and Project Management stuck with me because it could give me the variety I wanted. Lots of different people to meet, so many angles to come from on a project like engineering, finance, contract management – it ticked all the boxes. So, when I completed my BTEC I knew I wanted an apprenticeship instead of university, I wanted to get stuck into real projects and gain hands on experience. That is where Actemium come in, I joined in September 2020 on a Level 6 Project Management Apprenticeship. I am currently attending Blackpool & Fylde College 1 day per week and working towards a Project Management Degree, accredited by Lancaster University. This is where is noticed a big change, there are far more women in my classes here, in fact I would say we actually outnumber the men which is encouraging for the future!. I should be complete by Summer 2024 but in the meantime have been promoted to Junior Project Manager level within Actemium, Design at our Chorley office. I want to gain more experience in the coming years and may work towards gaining Chartered status, I don’t see myself doing a Masters at this time. That is my story so far!

I joined in 2017 as a Mechanical Design Apprentice and attended training in Burnley towards a HNC qualification. The idea was to do that initial 2 years and decide from there which career/development path to take. I decided to continue with my studies towards a degree, that was my choice and the business supported me fully. So, for the next 3 years, 1 day per week I attended Bolton University, however, it was important to me that the other 4 days I remained part of our Design Teams actively working on real projects. I achieved a 1st Class Honours Degree in Mechanical Engineering. The business would have supported me further towards a Masters but I chose after 5 years study to focus full-time on my career and delivering projects in the Nuclear Industry. My days & weeks are now spent on Mechanical Design, Documentation and Engineering Calculations. I have recently applied to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) to become professionally registered, this is important for me personally but also for the business so a Win Win. Chartered status may be my next step? Having joined the business at 18 years old, 6 years have passed by so quickly. At 24 I am happy to say I took the right career path with the right company. That is my story so far!

I joined Actemium as an apprentice in 2017 at the age of 18 having attended WMG Academy in Coventry for 2 years studying Engineering. For my 1st 3 years I worked 4 days a week on site and the other day I was at college studying. I am now 25 and a fully qualified electrician, 7 years have gone by so fast! Initially I worked within an Actemium Team resident at the Jaguar Landrover, Whitley site in Coventry (3 years), I then moved into our EV Charging Business because I knew it was the future and was excited to be part of it. Today, I am working in Dublin, Ireland on an EV Charging Installation project for a major customer but have been all over the UK in recent years, that was part of the attraction. I want to continue to progress and hopefully will soon attend a SSSTS course (Site Supervision Safety Training Scheme) which will enable me to take more responsibility. In the future I would like to run my own site projects, organise resources, materials etc…and be the main contact point for our Project Managers and the customer too. I have seen other colleagues do this and I am ready for this next step. I want to keep studying and Actemium are supporting me to gain 2391 Inspection & Testing Approved Electrician Level. Ultimately my end goal is to become a Project Manager but there is no rush, I enjoy what I do now. I also know that my years on site will make me a better Project Manager when I do reach that point. My mum has worked for Actemium for longer than I can even remember, so I knew I would be OK when I first joined. There is a long-term career in front of me and I have colleagues I work with every day that have followed exactly the same path as I am on. That is my story so far!

In June 2022, I had an opportunity for 1 week work experience at Actemium, Birmingham. That went so well that only 1 month later I joined the business full-time on a 4-Year Accountancy apprenticeship. This was a career diversion for me, having completed A-Levels in Maths & Health/Social Studies, followed by a college course in professional bakery. I am 20 Years old and in 2024 I will progress from Level 2 to Level 3. I am currently based at the Actemium, Birmingham office 4 days per week and the 5th day I attend Solihull College. My current duties focus on accounts payable, raising purchase orders and processing supplier invoices but I also support the Finance Business Partner. In addition, I look after the Protective Workwear (PPE) for our site-based workforce, this helps me understand other parts of the business beyond the numbers £££ I love my college course! and try to match what I learn in the classroom to how we operate as a business. So far so good, that is my story so far….