Ellen Donnelly

"Coordinator - As an engineer, teamwork is a big part of my day. With this comes good communication and organisation. It is ideal that you have a willingness to work and to help others around you. I am patient and work well as a team member, as well as a leader on occasion, to complete jobs on time and often to a budget.Investigator – I use logical thinking combined with brainstorming team ideas quite often. This is how we work as a team to solve even the most complex problems. In my work we regularly gather various types of information and combine it to solve problems. Being an engineer means you need to be honest and ethical in your work. You can’t just cheat through problems; you must be honest with yourself and the team about what the problems really are in order to fix them.Quality Controller – Curiosity goes a long way in engineering. Having been an engineering apprentice for the past four years, I can honestly say that by showing my curiosity and interest in the work around me, I was able to learn more and understand how and why different things are done. By asking questions and pushing myself to learn more, my mentors could see I love my work and had more interest in showing me and teaching me things they have learnt in their years of experience. People know I can be trusted to complete tasks to the required standard. They always know I work hard and always strive to do my best. They also know they can come and confide in me on a more personal level and I am a solid support for those around me. I am known to be fair and honest, but I am also known for challenging how things have always been done. I like to think outside the box and challenge methods we use in work and life in order to make a task easier or more efficient. It might not always work, but in order to make change we need to challenge.Although these are my three main personality types, I relate to many more of the personality types including Coach, Manager, Developer and even Explorer."

"As a Project Engineer, I take part in and also lead company projects, with the main goal of improving the workplace and making Greiner leaner. These projects are always unique and different which I find exciting. It generally involves collaboration work from across the company and allows me to work with many people and gain knowledge from their own unique experiences. It's great to be a part of a team, working together to make our company and our customers happy.Within Greiner I am an Employee Forum member and a founding member of Greiners Female Force group. Both are used to help give all employees a voice and to continuously improve the work environment. Being able to help improve a company like Greiner where we allow all employees voices to be heard is a great feeling and something I am very proud to be a part of.It is hard to choose a favorite part to my job, but if I had to choose just one, it would be that each day is different, bringing with it exciting new challenges and more opportunity to learn and grow. But a big part of why I love my job is being able to help improve the company and be a part of something which helps everyone's voice be heard. That is a good day’s work to me."

"As part of my A-Levels I went on a tour of Greiner. This is where I heard about the GOLD Program (Greiners Opportunity for Learning and Development). As an A-Level student, I thought that university was my only route into engineering, but I wanted a way of learning that was more practical and hands-on rather than theory based. At this point, I had already completed over half of my first year at A-Level, so I decided I would finish them and from there, apply to the GOLD Program, as this route suited me more.Greiner took me on as an apprentice and in my first year I spent part of my week studying and for the remainder applied what I had learned in the workplace. In the first year of the program, I was learning what each area of work entailed. I got experience in everything from Electrical and Mechanical, to Technician and Design work. This gave me a greater understanding of what it is to be an Engineer as well as giving me a better understanding of how the company works.I found that learning in each area in my first year really helped me with my decision on what type of Engineering I enjoyed most and by the end of the year, I knew I wanted to be a mechanical engineer. At this point I also completed my Level 2 NVQ. From here, I was placed in the Toolroom to train on Tool Maintenance, Repair and Prep, dealing with breakdowns and general machining. By the end of second year I had completed my BTECH Level 3 in Engineering with ‘Double Distinction’. Now I could move forward into my third year of the program, starting my foundation degree. That year I was also awarded top apprentice by Greiner and again by the College.During these 4 years in Greiner, I have become a member of the Employee Forum and Female LED group (Greiner Female Force). Being a part of these groups has gave me the unique opportunity to expand my knowledge and responsibilities in work. It has allowed me to meet people from various backgrounds and work with them to continually improve Greiner for all its current and future employees. In this time, I have also been given the opportunity to complete my top-up Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering with Honours, whilst remaining an employee of Greiner. This has also led me into my newest job role as a Project Engineer."

"When I was younger, I would help my dad fix cars. I would also swim, and I always loved going on adventures and climbing trees. I also did Irish dancing and competed in competitions over the years. But as I got older, these hobbies evolved and changed. I still enjoy swimming but don't do it as often. Instead, I go for long walks or cycles typically with my dog. During the better weather I also love to camp and enjoy nature. I enjoy nature so much that a few years back I decided to complete my Silver Duke of Edinburgh award. This was 3 days and 2 nights hiking across the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland, carrying food, clothes, tent and everything I would need on my back. I went out with a group of 6 people on this adventure and it was one of the greatest experiences I have had. It is something I would love to do again some day.I have also taken to the gardening and in particular, Growing fruit and veg. I take notions where I really like the cherry tomatoes, lettuce, Apples, plums or Potatoes that we got in the shop and I will plant part of them in order to regrow it at home. It gives me a sense of peace with gardening and also a sense of accomplishment when I can use food I grew in my own garden to cook dinner.I also love to bake. I particularly love baking cakes but also enjoy making cupcakes, Cookies, Mini tarts, Snowballs and may other sweet treats. I am still exploring and learning how to bake all these lovely goodies but my partners favorites are my take on Jammie Dodgers and chocolate chip cookies! personally I enjoy baking birthday spreads. For my sisters 18th, I went all out, making her a multi teared cake, a cupcake tree, cake pops, Cookies, Tarts, and more! I think everyone enjoyed the treats because they definitely didn't last long!However, I do still love a quiet night in just watching some TV or a movie and relaxing with my family."

"I start my morning with checking emails. Once I'm caught up, I will review and update maintenance related tickets. I would then filter and print out any tickets relating to machines on maintenance that day for the team to work through.With this complete, I will look at my project priorates and update as required. From there I make up a plan for the day, looking at what needs done and in what order. I then begin to work through these tasks to complete and mark off throughout the day. The Maintenance Manager will attend daily morning meetings and notify me of any changes that need made to the plan for the day or if other jobs are needed to be complete. on occasion, I will also be asked to these meetings.As a member of the Employee Forum, I will take time out of my week to work through forum related tasks as well, in aims to have them typically completed before our next monthly meeting. This could mean attending a meeting to discuss project plans and progress, as well as delegating tasks out to others in order to work through projects and make improvements to the company.Coming to the end of the day I will tie up with the maintenance manager to ensure all necessary tasks are completed for that day and discuss what the main priorities are for the following day. I will then clean and tidy the work area in preparation for the next working day.This is a typical day for me, however, being a project engineer means that each day can be very different and priorities can change quite quickly, depending on how the factory it running."

"GCSE - Math (A), English Language (A), Irish Language (A), Technology and Design (A), Double Award Science (AB), Religion (B), English Literature (B), Art and Design (B), Additional Math (C), History (C)A-Level - Math (C), Technology and Design (C), Physics (C)BTECH Level 3 - Engineering (Double Distinction)NVQ Level 2 - General Engineering (Complete)NVQ Level 3 - Manufacturing Engineering (Complete)Foundation Degree - Engineering (Distinction)Top up Bachelors of Honors in Engineering with Specialisms (Pending)"