Emma dedicated 19 years of loyal service to the Royal Navy before being medically discharged.
After taking a 16-month career break, Emma attempted to return to work, However, similar to many returning professionals, she faced challenges in securing technical roles through conventional hiring methods. As a result, Emma feared her engineering career was over.
Emma was fortunate to come across STEM Returners and was promptly connected with one of our program partners, Orano. Following a 12-week placement with Orano in the UK, Emma became a permanent member of Orano Limited, working within their Decommissioning and Dismantling team.
Meet Emma.
“After finishing school, I was not sure on what or where I wanted to go in life, I tried different jobs, and nothing seemed to fit. So, I decided to join the armed forces and see where that would take me. I always had a strong curiosity of how things worked so it felt natural training as a marine engineer. Throughout my military career I completed various apprenticeships with a combination of classroom base learning and hands on skills I eventually completing my foundation degree, management qualifications and several others.
In November 2021, after serving almost 19 years I was medically discharged. This gave me an opportunity to have a career break and take time out of work to concentrate on being a mum, adjust to civilian life whilst adapting to a new home. During this time, I had further surgeries and due to my worsening condition believed this to be the end of my engineering career, as I would no longer able to be hands on. After 16 months I decided to return to work, my applications were often overlooked for the more technical positions I applied for. The few that responded to my applications would offer me interviews or determine I was “over” qualified, so I started applying for anything that became available. Over 12 months I was fortunate enough to have had various positions within different industries from charity work to office-based roles and nothing seemed to fit around my physical needs, my family life or spark my interest.
So, when I saw the STEM Returners programme on the Women in Engineering website (WES), I decided I had nothing to lose and submitted the application. From the start the team at STEM Returners where fantastic, after several conversations on what the programme entailed, the process, the expectations/limitations and what I would like to achieve in the long term, I felt more confident about the process and decided to proceed.
I submitted my application, and I was offered an interview with Orano Ltd for a position within their organisation. I immediately became nervous as it was a new industry that I had not worked in before, but the Returner Support Specialist and a Career Coach put me at ease and guided me through the process, with regular check in’s and a chat before the interview to ensure I was prepared. My interview was on Teams, a general discussion about my previous career and the skills I have and why I wanted to be a part of the STEM Returners programme. I took the opportunity to gain knowledge about the company and ask questions. Five days after my interview I was offered a position with Orano in the dismantling and decommissioning department as an engineer on the STEM Returners programme.
The first few weeks, the company they put together a schedule which included all initial inductions so we could meet the key personnel within the company. I met the team that I would be working alongside, and they were incredibly supportive and seemed genuinely excited about the programme and the opportunity this could bring to the company. My manager is extremely supportive, she placed me on training, offered support and listened to me when I have needed it.
My work life balance is excellent, having the freedom to work around my children’s schooling and general everyday life has allowed me to work more efficiently, plan more effectively and produce work to a higher standard.
I now have a permanent position with Orano, and I am proud of everything I have manage to achieve so far. I have learned a lot from this experience and would fully encourage anyone who wants to return to STEM to do it. This opportunity has opened so many doors for me and I am excited about my new career and the opportunities that will come along.
If you would like to register your interest in joining a STEM Returners programme, please visit Returner Registration – STEM Returners or view our current programme opportunities here.