‘Before Jaguar Land Rover, I was studying A-Levels & helping run my family’s market stall. On one side I had aspirations to study at uni, but on the other I really wasn’t interested in learning theory without applying it in a business environment.’
My most challenging – but rewarding – project so far has been as a lead engineer, working on underbody across XE, XF, F-Pace & Velar 21MY. At the time I felt out of my depth, but looking back at my work and my managers’ feedback I’m quite proud of my output. Also, shoutout to Paul MacMurdie, Mark Gawne-Cain and Steve Duddy for their support over that period.
I grew up 5 minutes away from the Castle Brom plant under the sunny skies of Erdington. So I do take pride working for a company that’s integral to my hometowns local economy. But the most important thing about my work is the people around me, and making sure they can do their job.
I’m very proud to say I’ve been shortlisted in the Judges’ Choice Category of the BAME Apprentice Awards.
Out of all the apprentice awards I’ve seen, this is the first award I’ve felt I really identify with. It’s also the first I’ve ever entered. Rather than an ‘extra category’ I see the BAME AAs as a centre of excellence. A focal point for people of all backgrounds to see, there’s space for them to succeed in apprenticeships. So, to win & represent the BAME AA amongst so many great apprentices would be a huge achievement for myself.
Finally, while I’ve experienced a lot of personal success, I’ve tried to remain conscious of not forgetting the struggles of others. Especially now that I’m in a position of privilege myself. For this reason if I was to win, I’d use the award to not only amplify my own voice, but also the voices of others. Regardless of race, sexuality and neurodiversity etc. As while I look forward to seeing BAME people progress, it won’t mean as much if we forget to bring those less represented than ourselves with us.’
