What have you done since school?
I left school after finishing my GCSE’s but unfortunately had not got
the grades that I needed to do a course on Child Psychology at college.
I started St Vincent College in Gosport but wasn’t enjoying the
subjects I had chosen and decided to leave. I spent the rest of that
year working in a Children’s Nursery. I was still looking in the job
papers to find the right career for me and I saw the Apprenticeship
advert for FSL (Fleet Support Limited), I applied and was lucky enough
to get accepted!
Do you have any role models?
I have a really good relationship with my Dad and he works as an
Engineer. Hearing about what he is does at work encouraged me to apply
for the Apprenticeship scheme in an Engineering field. Originally I was
going to apply for a full Engineering apprenticeship but as I read more
about the Joinery programme I felt that was better suited to me.
Describe a typical day?
In the morning we are given a technical drawing that will provide us
with work for the rest of the day. I make a cutting list and then
proceed to cut out materials on the machines. I then mark out rebates
on the units which entails working out where to leave more or less
material to ensure that it joins in the correct place.
Throughout a day there are lots of Health & Safety checks that have
to be carried out and I wear Protective Equipment such as goggles,
overalls and ear protectors.
What do you like about your job?
I am a really active person and like to be doing things all the time, I
don’t ever want to be sitting at a desk in an office! Joinery gives me
the opportunity to be busy and active all the time! There is a really
good atmosphere at work that makes me happy to work there! I am a
perfectionist and joinery suits me because to complete a piece of work
it needs to adhere to the specifications set out in the technical
drawing. I also find it a real sense of achievement when I have
finished a piece of work as I can see a completed piece of furniture
and think, “I did that” and be really proud!
My favourite part of the job is doing the marking out of the materials.
I would like to take on more responsibility for this area in the
future, although I do enjoy all the other parts of my job too!
Where would you like to be in 3-5 years time?
I would like to carry on working for FSL as I have really enjoyed
working for the company and would like to work my way up into a team
leader position. I would also like to take on more of the ‘marking’
responsibilities.
What would you say to encourage other people into doing an Apprenticeship?
The money is a big incentive whilst you are learning! You don’t get
stuck in a rut whilst doing an Apprenticeship because there is always
so much more to learn! I think that the studying time helps you ease
into working life as you get 2 breaks a week to do your studying! Eddy
(Perry), the Training Manager, is really supportive of all of us and if
there are any problems there is always someone to talk to! We get pay
incentives as we go through the apprenticeship which I feel helps to
encourage people to keep going with the apprenticeship.
What would you say to encourage other people into your occupational area?
I was the first female joinery apprentice at FSL so I would really like
to see more girls start it as I think if more gave it a try they would
see how enjoyable it is! You need to have a hard shell to get by and
fit into the environment, but I have found it really worthwhile and
really feel part of the team!
How do you find the combination of work and studying?
We are really lucky at FSL that we all get a morning a week to catch up
on our studying. This really helps as we get access to the computers
and Internet to complete our NVQ work. I like that we get to go to
college once a week as it is nice to develop friendships there and hear
about what other people are doing. I like the fact that the
apprenticeship is half practical and half theory as it makes the whole
process seem a lot more manageable.