It’s fine to be unsure about your long-term career aspirations when you’re just starting out. That’s what happened to me!
Working out where my passion lay
I think people are fascinating, so I studied psychology at Leicester University, and thought my career would be focused around this. However, when I finished uni, I’d had enough of the books for a while, and to be a really dedicated psychologist in any field, you needed to commit to many more years of study.
Instead, unsure about what I now wanted to do, I decided to take on a few temporary jobs, and get some inspiration for roles and areas which interested me.
Getting a foot in the door
I worked at Manchester University and MMU which gave me the experience of working (as opposed to studying) in an educational environment – particularly in continuing professional development and university accreditation. It's that experience that attracted me to The Manufacturing Institute (TMI). At the time, TMI wasn’t yet part of GC.
TMI were running a Diploma in Manufacturing programme, quality assured by Manchester University. I applied for, and got a role there in 1998 and TMI became my home for the next 18 years which grew from a team of eight to 100 plus Associates!
An invaluable experience
TMI was an amazing organisation to work for. They taught me an awful lot about manufacturing and engineering – I gained tonnes of experience.
I worked with manufacturing practitioners, students, employers, academics and consultants, connecting with everyone and anything from small SME manufacturers, to multinational manufacturing businesses. I gained invaluable experience of running both publicly funded and commercial business support, which has most definitely shaped by career journey.
It was a really supportive environment, and I was incredibly lucky that TMI sponsored me to do a Master's Degree in Management. As the organisation grew, I progressed to become Head of Programme Delivery & Diploma Programme Director in 2012, and then Head of Programme Accreditation in 2015.
A breath of fresh air
I was made redundant from TMI in 2016 and very quickly discovered that I'd been safely within my comfort zone for far too long.
I saw the advert for the Manufacturing Services Manager role in the Business Growth Hub. I went for the interview on the Wednesday, got offered the job on the Friday and started on the Monday!
It was really eye-opening, having worked for such a long time in the same organisation – it was a breath of fresh air. I straight away saw GC’s commitment to provide learning and development opportunities and be supportive of women in the workplace. I progressed to become Manufacturing Lead in 2019, and in 2021 I started in my current role as Head of Manufacturing. One of the many benefits of my role is having the opportunity to champion women in manufacturing and engineering, including supporting Maria Acastenco from MIDAS through the GC Mentoring Scheme.
It’s the people I work with that keep me at GC
I absolutely love it here. Our Manufacturing Team are all incredibly dedicated and passionate about growing the manufacturing sector in Greater Manchester.
My experience of GC is an incredibly supportive, engaging and flexible one, and I’d encourage anyone to come and work with us. I think our organisation is genuinely concerned and supportive of its workforce and its clients. Our organisation definitely challenges both clients and colleagues alike to remember that nothing grows in the comfort zone!