"“My Skills, My Life” results came out as Coordinator (works well with others and willing to help when needed), Influencer (good at finding and reviewing information and good at explaining so that people understand) and Manager (compassionate and understands how to motivate individuals and groups).I feel these results reflect who I am quite well, I normally avoid quizzes which tell me what personality type I am, as I am not a fan of trying to fit into a box or be labelled. However, this time I embraced it and found it quite accurate. The qualities mentioned are essential for having a role that is very people-orientated, working with a range of people from academically minded to practically minded, and everything in between. Having a background working with school children I now find it very easy to explain projects and ways of working to different types of people, and changing the way I explain to suit their way of learning without it being too noticeable to the people around me, thus helping them feel at ease and engaged in the tasks we are working on. I love being part of a team, as I feel a good team can push all in it to achieve a lot more. When you are surrounded by people of different abilities and backgrounds you learn a lot more about your job, about life and about yourself. I am always asking questions and am keen to learn as much as I can with a view to passing that information onto others."

"The main tasks in my job involve machining metal, fabricating parts, providing support to multiple projects and getting involved with our Outreach team by using embroidery machines, laser cutters and 3D printers. The work I do enables our projects to have a positive impact on external companies and how they manufacture parts and run their factories. With Outreach, we are able to provide a different, creative way for students to get involved with STEM activities, our work is accessible for all students regardless of their background. I love that my job is so varied and in one day I can be on the lathe, then the embroidery machine, then using robots. It is hard to get bored with such a variety of projects to keep me on my toes and to keep my mind engaged. I also love seeing some of my work on the news and websites for different companies and being able to say I helped make that possible! The starting salary for my role is approx. £25,000, although this will vary with companies and experience. The salary has never been a motivator for me with, I feel it is much more important to find a job you love and are happy to go back to after the weekend. "

"I decided early on that a university education was not for me, instead I went to college and studied Bench Joinery. From there I went on to be an apprentice technician in a secondary school workshop. My job role has stayed very similar throughout my 4 jobs, always a technician (construction, engineering and workshop) always practical, creative and providing technical support to students and academics from the ages of 11 and up. I have taught age groups from teenagers to adults and found I loved teaching the practical skills but didn’t enjoy the paperwork side. From a young age I wanted to be a wooden toy maker or furniture maker. While my full-time job is mostly metal and plastics, I still have a passion for woodwork and attended evening college sessions for a space to do this and was part of a woodturning club. I am now able to continue with this at home and this makes for an ideal weekend. I always looked up to the workshop technician who helped me when I was at school, amazed by the things he could create from scraps and offcuts. I always struggled (still do) with the academic side of life, so having someone who could see and encourage the practical side in me was a huge confidence boost, and is the reason I went on to help and support other people, always putting the extra time into supporting those less academic than those around them. "

"In my spare time I train a lot, I play full contact rugby and love obstacle course races. Anything physical and challenging I love to do. Being part of a sports team is great for your mental health, you never feel alone and there is always someone who understands what you’re going through. I volunteer as a Bronze Level Leader for the DofE Awards and am an active member of my Church community. I have always had a passion for sports and have represented the Midlands in Tag Rugby. At the age of 13 I was told I have a form of arthritis, this began to slow me down until I decided that I was not going to be beaten by it and so pushed myself harder. Struggling with asthma too, I have always prided myself on keeping up with or doing better than those without. When I'm told I can't do something I love to prove people wrong! I have always struggled to sit still and found that sports and training give me the release I need to de-stress and to focus on other things. "

"A typical day at work involves checking over drawings from academics and engineers, ordering the materials and tools needed for the job and then the best part - manufacturing the parts. To make the parts which are needed for projects I use a variety of equipment, such as milling machines and lathes, laser cutters and 3D printers, hand tools and power tools and often using CAD software to double check the part as I go along. However, no two days tend to be the same and this keeps me interested and excited to be at work. Most of the projects I am involved with are automation based using robots and AGVs to come up with processes for automated factories. Unfortunately for you, these tend to be confidential projects which means I can’t share any information about them!"

"A Levels in Product Design and DramaLevel 3 Diploma in Bench Joinery Professional Registration with the IMechE as EngTech, Equivalent to HNC. I am not very academic and always struggled with the written side of subjects and so being able to gain professional registration is a huge achievement for me that I worked so hard for and now I have this recognition my confidence in my own ability at work has grown. "