My working day begins at 7.30am when I arrive at Daisy’s, calling up to let her know I’m here before putting the kettle on ready for her morning brew. Then it’s up the stairs to help Daisy out of bed and into the bathroom. Daisy likes to wash herself because she is still quite self-sufficient. 

While Daisy’s in the bathroom, I have to dash around, making the bed and emptying the commode while keeping one ear open in case I’m needed. Daisy likes to choose what she wants to wear, but I give her a hand as she needs help with fastening buttons or putting on her stockings. I help Daisy down to the kitchen for her breakfast and a cup of tea and while she is tucking into her cereal I have a quick check around to make sure all is tidy then it’s a wave goodbye and I’m on my way to see Mr Williams. 

Mr Williams lives alone two miles from Daisy and suffers with dementia. He needs reminding to take his medication so I pop in at 8.15am. Once we’ve finished discussing the weekend’s football action I’m on my way to see Mavis who lives a few doors away. Mavis doesn’t like an early call so I get there about 9am. First I help Mavis get out of bed as she has arthritis and finds it difficult. I assist her in getting to the loo and then get her ready for the day. Mavis has no family and often I am the only person she sees through the day and I know she really appreciates me calling in to help her. Even though I have a very busy schedule while I’m making her a cup of tea and helping her get washed, dressed and eat her breakfast. I make sure I have a nice natter with Mavis as well. 

Time is getting on and my next call is a bit of a drive away to visit Miss Smith and her cat, Tigger. Miss Smith is visually impaired and although she can get herself washed and dressed she needs me to help to make her breakfast and a hot drink and of course for Miss Smith the main priority is for me to feed Tigger. My morning has flown by and it’s time for me to grab a quick break before I start to do lunch runs. My lunch round is similar to the morning run but I have to closely watch the clock to make sure everyone gets a meal within a sensible slot. It’s surprising how you can prepare a basic meal, make a drink, have a chat and still manage to get around everybody. 

My last call is back to Miss Smith. Today she would like an omelette so it’s out with the frying pan and it’s sizzling in no time. Of course, I have to make sure there’s enough left over for Tigger! We always have a chat in the kitchen while I’m cooking her lunch which I know she appreciates. 

Then that’s it for me, time to go home and put my feet up for a while. I don’t have any tea time calls planned but I may get an emergency call as things can change quickly with people who need help. 

One of the things I love about this job is the variety. When you’re dealing with people who need that little bit of extra help no two days are ever the same as their health and wellbeing needs change, but I always feel, as I go through my day, that I am making a little difference to people’s lives and that makes it all so worthwhile.

He’s now worked his way up to a first class pilot and also trains and recruits others. Chad, who expertly navigates and berths ships along and on the Humber, was quickly welcomed into ABP to help settle him into his role. 

He enjoys his rewarding job, saying: “After the first few months of training I found that the role of a pilot was the most rewarding job I have ever done. “I received a lot of responsibility with my new role but my team at ABP were there every step of the way to guide me through. Not only do I get to navigate and berth ships, but I also get to go home every day and see my family which is something seafarers don’t get to do.”

When Christian took his first job as a lifeguard at our Minehead resort, he thought he would only be staying for two months, but 9 years later he’s still here, still happy and a true Butlin’s person. Over his first two seasons he really found his feet, and soon became a Team Leader – progressing to Swimming Pool Assistant Manager when he was ready. He’s got a real talent for bringing out the best in people and helping them develop their careers, just like he did. He says that he really loves seeing families having a great time on holiday, and he gets a real buzz from meeting new people. In fact, he met his wife at Butlin’s and they are expecting their first Butlin’s baby!

Like all our passionate Managers, Christian will be happy to tell you: if you give our guests a great time we’ll give you the opportunity of a lifetime.

What do you do in your day job?

I’m an offshore coordinator team leader for Westermost Rough which is an offshore windfarm situated 8km off the Yorkshire Coast, north of Hull.  I love the role, I manage a team of people who look after the coordination and communication with people when they go offshore, which includes vessel transport planning, maintaining radio contact, ensuring they have all the up to date information including restrictions if any. Our main responsibility is knowing who is offshore, ensuring they are safe to be offshore and ensuring they come back onshore.

What do you love most about your job?

I love my job. Every day is different and when you arrive in the morning you don’t know what that day might hold. It’s a really sociable job too, we’re the place to go if people need any support whether they’re planning a trip or already offshore so there’s always people popping by, from the Head of Operations to the vessel crews, you never know who’s going to walk through the door. I love meeting new people so it’s the perfect job for me.

What made you want to get into the renewables industry?

I was working at a gas power station when I read an article about DONG Energy, and it made me think. I wasn’t sure what the future of the gas station was and the article said that Ørstedwere recruiting in Grimsby so I applied and got the job. The industry attracted me because it’s growing so rapidly. As an example – I currently look after offshore coordination for Westermost Rough but we also operate Gunfleet Sands and will be taking over operation of Lincs windfarm in February 2018. We’re also constructing another two windfarms off the Yorkshire coast; Race Bank, and Hornsea Project One. When built, Hornsea Project One will be the biggest windfarm in the world,  but we also recently got the go ahead for Hornsea Project Two which two years later will leapfrog that and be the biggest! So not only do I feel positive about what I’m doing, I know there’s a strong future for this company and industry too.

What advice would you give to someone applying for a job at Ørsted?

Believe in yourself. I actually applied for a different role, as a site assistant, and when they told me they’d like to offer me the offshore coordinator role I couldn’t believe it! I really questioned whether I’d be able to do it, but they had confidence in me. The feedback I got was that it was because I had a good attitude towards work. So even if you don’t have the experience sometimes it’s your mind-set that counts.

What qualities do you think are important for your role?

As things such as weather conditions or sea restrictions can change rapidly, you have to be able to think on your feet and react quickly to solve any problems. The job involves communication an coordination with many different people so it helps if you can quickly develop relationships, and enjoy meeting new people. At first I had to ask a lot of questions because I hadn’t had experience in the offshore wind industry, which some people might be too scared to do, but it allowed me to learn quickly and I think it gained me respect.

What’s been your biggest achievement?

I was part of the team that introduced helicopter operations to Westermost Rough. It’s the first time we’ve used helicopters in the UK to transport our staff to and from the windfarm, and it involved a lot of planning and persistence. There are so many aspects to consider and challenges to overcome, and there were many times when I couldn’t see how we would get it to work. So it was a really great and proud feeling to be part of the team that achieved this milestone for Ørsted. I was nominated for a president’s award (an internal award given each year by our Group CEO) for my work on the project, which I was extremely flattered by and was so surprised when I won! It’s such an exciting thing to be part of, I’ve been out in the helicopter a couple of times and as we use it almost daily I am constantly reminded of what we achieved. 

Where do you live? Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria
Job title: Wind turbine technician – lead technician
Qualifications: NVQ Level 2 & 3 Mechanical Engineering. I’m a safety rep at work so I have an IOSH H&S qualification and I am currently studying for a NEBOSH H&S qualification

Tell us about the company you work for, Ørsted: 
Ørstedis the global leader in offshore wind. It was formed around ten years ago and is headquartered in Denmark although the UK is a key market for us. We have eight operational windfarms in the UK, a further four under construction and with more in the pipeline Ørsted, and the offshore wind industry, is growing rapidly.

What do you do in your job as a Wind Turbine Technician?

My primary role is the service and maintenance of our offshore wind turbines at Walney Offshore Windfarm. This includes inspections, scheduled maintenance and troubleshooting any small faults that come up and fixing them. I lead a small team and together we perform a range of manual tasks to ensure that the wind turbines are working reliably and at maximum efficiency. Because we’re out at sea and sometimes in challenging weather conditions, ensuring it’s done safely is probably the biggest part of my job. 

How does your work affect the production of renewable wave energy? 
Just like a car, wind turbines need servicing every year. There are 102 turbines at Walney 1 + 2, which need to be in good order to be able to produce enough energy for 250,000 homes, so I feel our role is vital in the production of renewable wind as we ensure everything is working correctly and efficiently.

How does it feel to work in an industry that’s important to the future of the planet? 
It feels good to work in the offshore wind industry as it has a somewhat moral feel to it. To know that the work I do contributes to our country emitting less carbon is quite humbling. The industry is growing rapidly so I feel like I’m part of something big which is moving forward and benefitting society without harming the planet.

Ørsted operates three offshore wind farms off the Barrow coast with another under construction, why is Barrow a good place to generate wind energy? 
Lots of factors go into where is a good place to build a wind farm. You need shallow waters and good sea bed for foundations, and of course lots of wind. I’ve lived here all my life and can safely say it’s a very windy place!  When Ørsted first began construction in Barrow over ten years ago there wasn’t much infrastructure to support the offshore wind industry here, but thanks to significant investment from Ørsted and other companies the Barrow area now has great capabilities for offshore wind. The supply chain has also diversified so it’s capable of supplying green energy as well as nuclear!

Could you describe an average day?

A typical day starts with a brief from a supervisor where they’ll tell us what the work is for the day. It’s an early start, normally around 6am, to give us time to sail out to the windfarm, do what we need and then get back again. Normally I’ll have some idea of what needs doing from the day before, but this is a chance for us to go into more detail and be given specific tasks and particular safety talks or things to be aware of. We’ll then get our tools and equipment together before getting on the boat. The journey takes about 1 – 1.5 hrs and can be a bit choppy in the winter! But you get used to it and actually it’s a nice chance to have a bit of time to relax before getting to work on the turbine. When we arrive at the windfarm we transfer onto the transmission piece. This can be a bit scary on a bad weather day but you’re always in control. They [Ørsted] wouldn’t let you do it if it wasn’t safe and there’s no pressure if you don’t feel comfortable. We then crane the gear off the boat, stop the turbine and get the lift up to the top. At 150m the view is impressive, nearly as tall as Blackpool Tower! We use the crane to transfer the equipment up, carry out the work, which could be a variety of things, and go back to shore the way we came.

Which “branch” of engineering do you work in? 
My NVQ is in mechanical engineering, but as a wind turbine technician there tends to be more electrical than mechanical. I wouldn’t call myself an electrician, but I know what I’m doing up there as I’ve had all the relevant training I need in-house.

What is it like working in Barrow?
I’m from Barrow originally so pretty lucky to have all this on my doorstep. Barrow has a good industrial background with the shipyard and so on, so there’s no shortage of skills in the area. 

How did you find out about your job? 
I first saw the job in a newspaper advert. I applied and came for an interview and was successful – this was three years ago now. I hadn’t really heard of Ørsted before then but I’m glad I went for it as the job is really interesting – I never thought the view from the top of a 150m turbine would be a daily occurrence!  

What do you find most challenging about your job? 
The most challenging part of my job is working under time constraints and making sure everything we do is done safely. Everyone is responsible for their own safe work but as I’m a team leader I have extra responsibility in making sure the rest of the team are working safely – this is really important to me. As we work out at sea we can also have quite challenging weather conditions – but we’d never go out in anything risky so the worst it gets is a bit bumpy on the boat!

What first got you interested in engineering? 
From a young age I always liked getting hands-on and fixing stuff. I knew I’d have a good career ahead of me if I studied engineering and so far that’s turned out to be true! There’s plenty of scope for progression, after three years I’m already leading a team so I’m looking forward to the future.

What subjects did you study at school?

At school I studied Maths, English and Science GCSEs as well as a vocational course in engineering and motor vehicle cars. I then went on to college to do my NVQ2 in mechanical engineering and completed my NVQ3 at my previous employment at BAE Systems.

And how are these subjects important to what you do now? 
I think the vocational courses I did are more related to what I’m doing now than Maths English and Science. I enjoyed them more and it turned out I was better at them. I think they should do more vocational courses at younger ages and give young people opportunities to learn things which will directly help them to get a job straight away, or go to college with a bit more knowledge.

What kind of personal qualities do you think are important for an engineer?
You need a good eye for detail – you can’t cut corners in this job, and you spend a lot of time working with colleagues so it’s important to be friendly. Generally speaking, engineers should be persistent, as sometimes you need to try different solutions, and they should be the sort of people that are always looking to do things more efficiently. Good communication is also extremely important, especially for my role where you’re out at sea working on complex machinery.

Do you have any advice for someone wanting to get into a similar career?
Find something you’re interested in and go for it. If you’re not lucky enough to get a job, apprenticeships can be a great route or go to college and try and get an NVQ2. That’s what I did and it definitely helped me when I went for my first job.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Keeping fit and spending time with my girlfriend and daughter. 

Based in Boston, Lincolnshire with additional offices in Germany, DCI was incorporated in 1983, and is now at the forefront of its industry as leaders in research and development, manufacturing, ink formulation, production and packaging of cartridges. We supply customers across 40 different countries around the world, and businesses ranging from large commercial retailers to smaller, independent stores.  Our 32,000m² factory facility provides us with the capacity to produce over 2.5 million remanufactured inkjets and 100,000 toners per month.

We are also extremely passionate about being a British company, and the fact that we produce everything right here in the UK, under one roof.  Our products and services go hand in hand with the environment, and we are continuously striving to satisfy environmental concerns and reduce our carbon footprint. Over recent years, many factors have been put into place to meet the challenges of new environmental legislation.

In recent years, radical changes have been made to the factory and manufacturing processes, including:

• £1 million investment in re-roofing over 10,000m2 of the factory to achieve a more energy efficient facility. Roofing materials were removed and replaced with energy efficient material to prevent heat loss and improve light.
• After reviewing the efficiency of manufacturing, considerable investments in machinery were made to produce more parts per shift.
• Two 110KW compressors were replaced with two more efficient 90KW compressors.
• Renewable energy is used to heat the factory in winter by converting energy from machinery to heat energy.

DCI have a zero landfill policy.

Many materials are recovered in house such as test paper, cardboard, used toner powder, plastic, wood and metal. Remaining materials are sent to a local professional recycling firm who specialise in the recovery of waste materials.

Name: Hannah Robson

Company: The Retail Data Partnership

How long have you been with the company: 2 years

Job Role: Marketing Executive

Where did you find the job advertisement to apply for the role?

Whilst working in the customer services department, I took the opportunity to change departments and focus on a specific vocation, that being Marketing and Sales.

Why did you want to work for the company?

I wanted to explore my strengths and experience a new industry.

What interested you about the industry?

Working in marketing, I can use my creative skills and develop a good understanding of the convenience sector.

Can you describe a typical day for you?

I manage our social media platforms, customer feedback site and the day to day marketing requests from other departments. Alongside producing content and ideas for our website, I also look after the marketing stock and have correspondence with external payment companies when creating promotional materials.

What qualities do you bring to the role?

I am a strong character and am passionate about communications with internal and external contacts. I am creative, organised and driven to complete any task to a high standard.

What is the best thing about working at the company?

I have a great love for the people I work with and take pleasure interacting daily with each and every person on a professional and personal level.

Why would you recommend working in the industry?

TRDP offers many opportunities to enhance your knowledge and skill set. A stepping stone to a career tailored to you.

Name: Ibrahim Ali

Company: The Retail Data Partnership

How long have you been with the company: 10 Months

Job Role: Junior Developer

Where did you find the job advertisement to apply for the role?

I found the job advertisement online.

Why did you want to work for the company?

The company allowed me to use skills which I have learned at university.

I had the chance to learn a new programming language like Perl and the opportunity to work on team projects.

What interested you about the industry?

The chance to work on an EPOS (electric point of sale) system.

I would get the opportunity to help shop owners in managing products and making transactions easier for them.

An the chance to work on complex systems like managing stock, loyalty and shelf edge labels.

Can you describe a typical day for you?

The day starts with a team Kanban where the team is updated on the progress of issues currently being worked on. If a person has finished they would be delegated a new bug or issue. I would usually be given a ShopMate bug. Once Kanban is finished, I would study how the bug currently works and discuss with the creator of the bug on how ShopMate should work. Next a SVN branch would be created to work on the bug as this allows multiple developers to code in the same area. I would then try to find where the code is placed on the system. Once I found where the code is placed, I would place debugging around the code to make sure I was in the right area. Next I would work on a solution to the bug. Depending on the complexity of the bug this could take a while. Once I have fixed the bug I would commit the code. The work is now waiting to be tested by the testers. Once I have finished I am available to help other members on their work until another piece of work becomes available. New work can also be a new feature which adds more functionality to ShopMate or a new report making it easier for customers to see their data.

What qualities do you bring to the role?

• Hard working
• Keen to learn
• Quick at learning new skills
• Willing to help others in team with issues
• I have experience using MySQL and programming languages like HTML and CSS

What is difficult about your role?

Finding a solution to a bug problem especially if it requires rewriting of old code.

Also, working to tight deadlines to output new releases of ShopMate.

What is the best thing about working at the company?

• Flexible working hours.
• Learn to program in different languages.
• Exposure to many different areas of ShopMate.
• Working in pairs on problems can help if you do not understand or get stuck.
• Team members always willing to help when they have more experience in an area.

Why would you recommend working in the industry?

It is a large industry and you get to work on range of different areas.

TRDP is always expanding giving you to the chance to work on new and exciting software.

Name:  Jan Rose

Company:  The Retail Data Partnership Ltd

How long have you been with the company: 6.5 Years

Job Role:  Wholesale Relationship & Senior Manager

Where did you find the job advertisement to apply for the role?

I originally joined the company as the Administration Manager and applied for the vacancy via an on-line advertisement for positions in Stamford.

Why did you want to work for the company?

At the time I was working in the care industry after having a break from an office environment where I had been for the previous 25-yrs.  I had always wanted to work with people but the care environment wasn’t for me and so I decided to go back to what I knew best, which was working in business.  I didn’t consciously choose to work at TRDP, at the time I was just looking for a job but, what a job and fantastic company I found.

What interested you about the industry?

I wish I could give a response to this question that is truly inspiring but to be honest I fell into retail and the convenience sector.  Yes, I have always shopped but never really thought about the process and didn’t even know what a barcode was until 7-yrs ago.

Can you describe a typical day for you?

Well no two days are ever the same, that’s for sure!

My time is split primarily in the office but also on the road, managing our Wholesaler relationships, ensuring that our corporate customers are happy and that our partner’s field teams have as much information as possible to promote our ShopMate EPoS system.

As well as managing our existing wholesale partners at a corporate level, I try to visit as many regional teams around the country, which means that I get to meet a lot of extremely interesting people and travel to all four corners of the country (hopefully not in the same week though!)

What qualities do you bring to the role?

I hope that if you asked some of our partners this question, the answer you would get would be that ‘I believe in delivering’.  Being able to listen to our customers and partners and ensuring that our business delivers the best service and solutions so that they can run their businesses well.

As part of the Senior Management Team, my role is to contribute ideas and initiatives that will build on our already solid foundations and ensure that we move into the future with a business portfolio that drives us forward for many years to come with a happy and well organised team of employees, all focused on our business objectives but, enjoying the process of getting there as well.

What is difficult about your role?

The convenience sector is not an easy industry to be part of and over the last few years there have been many hurdles.  My role of managing our partner relationships means that I need to be able to adapt quickly to requests and feed these back into our organisation.  The most difficult aspect of this, is managing the needs of the customer against the business needs of The Retail Data Partnership and the frustrations of getting changes implemented quickly enough to make the difference.

What is the best thing about working at the company?

It’s hard to know where to begin really.  The Retail Data Partnership is not like any other business I have ever worked in before or experienced, and I do experience a lot of other companies during the course of my day-to-day role.  Many companies promote that great service is at the heart of their business and that they recognise the importance of their staff.

At The Retail Data Partnership, we have ‘Customers’ whether they are external or internal, we have an ethos whereby we strive to ensure that everyone is treated as we would like to be treated ourselves; it sounds a little corny but it’s true.

There are no boundaries here, I started off as the Office Manager because I had many years of office experience.  I don’t have a degree or a string of qualifications but I do have life skills that our business appreciates and recognises which has led to me moving from middle management to senior management. 

The saying ‘hard-work pays-off’ is definitely true here, if you give 100% you will get that back ten-fold.

Why would you recommend working in the industry?

If you enjoy a challenge and constantly changing targets, then convenience retail is the industry to choose. 

EPoS technology is an area whereby you can visibly see the benefits it can provide to retailers.  Seeing our customers receive their new systems and observing increased sales and footfall because of the solutions we have provided and, getting great customer feedback in the field is an incredible buzz.

What I do
In my job I plan and coordinate the maintenance tasks at one of our operational wind farms, Burbo Bank. One of the key areas of my role is to monitor the weather, vessel and technician availability to ensure that we can carry out the work we plan to do. I ensure that tasks that have been planned are completed during the day and reschedule any work where necessary.

I also monitor overall maintenance plans to ensure that we are on schedule with work and deal with back office to organize work that must be carried out on site from executing work orders, to Balance of Plant tasks and requesting additional resources for work.

What drives me
I love the variety and the challenges. Although I have my routine work, no day is ever the same and I am constantly learning something new. Ørsted lifts your aspirations and motivates you to strive to do better and this has had a positive impact in my personal life too.

I also love the development opportunities available and am taking part in the Teach First Mentoring scheme which is linked with Manchester University. For 14 months, I will be mentoring two sixth form students to offer support as they decide on their future career steps.

My career path
I went to University College London and studied Anthropology and Geography. Before that, I worked as a Project Coordinator at Hawker Beechcraft in Chester.

My advice
Do your research and find out about the variety of roles available. Ørsted loves problem solvers and I would strongly recommend providing examples of times when you have done so. Not only this, but don’t be afraid to be resilient and assertive.

There are currently dozens of openings for volunteers across Lincolnshire and one of the people helping others into the roles saw his own life transformed by giving his time for free.

Jody Raggo is now an area officer with Lincolnshire Community and Voluntary Service (LCVS).

He originally joined LCVS eight years ago in a voluntary capacity. Back then his confidence was low, he felt stuck in a rut and he was struggling to motivate himself.

Jody had taken stop-gap jobs in retail and catering on leaving university with a degree in English and film studies, but wanted to shift to an administration role.

A training coach he was referred to via the Job Centre advised volunteering after Jody faced five months of unemployment, applying for roles that he didn’t get due to lack of experience.

Jody was nervous when he joined LCVS (then called South Lincolnshire CVS) as an administration volunteer in February 2010, but it proved the perfect platform into a new career when seven months later a paid role became available.

He said: “I enjoyed being around a close-knit and friendly team of paid staff and fellow volunteers and was able to utilise my existing skills and knowledge to my fullest effect.

“I was able to gain work experience and qualifications through my volunteering (I completed a Level 3 NVQ in Business Management whilst I was volunteering), which then led to a paid job in September 2010 that I have been in ever since.

“It has helped me gain confidence and a sense of being within a community again as well as given me self-belief in my abilities and skills.”

His experience not only led to a new career but also led him to continue volunteering long term.

Jody, 37, of Boston, continues to volunteer as a dog walker at Jerry Green Dog Rescue, in Algarkirk, and on resident committees Witham Central and Carlton Road Neighbourhood Action Group and High Street South and Boston East Neighbourhood Action Group. With LCVS, Jody has previously worked in East Lindsey and is now area officer in Grantham and Boston. His role involves promoting and enabling volunteering and supporting community groups with things like funding and policies.

Jody said: “Volunteering is very fulfilling and can help change lives. It certainly has mine!

“There are many roles that people can do and I believe there is a voluntary role for everyone out there whatever your skills and experience may be. I would definitely encourage people to give it a go.”

LCVS supports people to volunteer in Boston, Spalding, Louth and Grantham in a wide variety of roles ranging from radio presenting to race marshalling.

Joe initially joined Lindum in August 2015 as a Technical Trainee after qualifying with a HND in Construction from Grimsby College however, after working on his first project at Morrisons Flowerworld, he switched to train as a Quantity Surveyor after enjoying this job right from the start and deciding this was the career for him! 

“Using what I have learned in the classroom and putting this into practice in a real construction environment has proved to be very rewarding and, on occasions, challenging. The approachable and friendly nature of the Lindum team means there is no shortage of support and advice available from my experienced colleagues and makes each day a learning experience."

Joe has completed his ILM (Institute of Leadership Management) Level 3 in Leadership and Management with Lindum and is a CITB accredited Construction Ambassador promoting the construction industry associated careers within local schools.