Tell us a little bit about you
My name is Lauren and I’m an Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Apprentice at the Trust. In my free time I enjoy shopping and going to concerts (a lot of them!). I am also a big Formula 1 fan and love watching the races every race weekend and even going to some Grand Prix’s, I have been to the Austrian Grand Prix twice and I have Landostand tickets for Silverstone in 2025. I also do Ju-Jitsu once a week and I am a black belt now; I have done this for years now and I really enjoy it as it was my grandad's club and his passion before he passed away.
What first interested you in joining Canal & River Trust?
When I started choosing my options in high school, I chose engineering as a GCSE because I wanted to become a rollercoaster engineer when I was older, I knew though that I didn’t want to carry on doing full time education and started looking into apprenticeships. That’s when I came across the Trust’s apprenticeship program, I looked at what it included for a mechanical and electrical apprenticeship, and I knew that’s what I wanted to do. The fact that I could do on the job training and learn all the skills and knowledge while working seemed like the type of thing that I was looking for. Full-time education is not for everybody so as soon as I saw that I could do college alongside work all while getting my qualification was just ideal for me.
What are you enjoying most about your apprenticeship?
What I’m enjoying is working with the people in my team, we all get along really well, and I learn great new skills every day. What I also really enjoy is my one week a month at college it really helps you develop your skills and make many great new friends who are all training in engineering like you. What’s also great is that it’s not just people your age working for the Trust there is a wide variety of people of different ages to learn from and develop your skills.
How are you supported by the Trust during your apprenticeship?
The Trust helps support you in many ways by making sure you feel comfortable and supported in your working environment. The Trust is very focused on diversity and making sure that no matter what gender, age, or ethnicity, you never feel out of place or not welcome and everyone you meet is very happy to welcome you to the Trust.
What advice would you give for someone looking to start an apprenticeship with the Trust?
The advice I would give is just go for it, if you’re thinking of joining the Trust or want an apprenticeship just to apply because you never know what could happen. Always be yourself, it will help you gain friendships with your peers and other people in the Trust. I would also say don’t be afraid - I was 16 when I joined and had never had a job before and was straight out of high school and had never been in a strongly male environment or travelled anywhere. But since joining the Trust I have worked well with my peers and have been treated no differently, I have travelled on my own and become more independent and most of all I have enjoyed every second of being in the Trust and cannot wait for many more times to come. So, if you are thinking of joining do it because honestly you will not regret it.
