Natalie Parker, 46, from Worthing, began her journey after being made redundant from her long career in admin and accounts in July 2019.
Determined to take a new path, she enrolled in a five-week property maintenance course with Chichester College Group, organised by the veterans’ charity Building Heroes.
Southern maintenance engineer Natalie Parker photographed at work at Hove Station for a feature ahead of National Apprenticeship Week. (Image: Andrew Gardner)
Ms Parker said: “I had a longstanding career in book-keeping mainly in local government, but unfortunately when I moved to a new role at a private company I was made redundant in July 2019.”
With her newly acquired trade skills, she secured a role as a skilled maintenance operative with Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) in February 2020.
She said: “I’d always been interested in hands-on work, so I was over the moon when I was accepted onto the property maintenance course.
“I learnt a variety of skills, such as plumbing, plastering and carpentry, which helped me gain my role with GTR as a skilled maintenance operative.”
Now, after six years in the rail industry, she is looking to take her career to the next level with a Level 3 Women in Leadership: Team Leader apprenticeship with GTR, which she began in March 2025.
She said: “I spotted the apprenticeship through GTR’s internal news and it sounded brilliant, because it covers topics such as project and team management, the importance of networking and developing presence and professionalism.
“I have a better understanding of how to talk to people and inspire them, which is a key manager skill.”
Ms Parker said the course has boosted her confidence and helped her overcome self-doubt, something she struggled with due to growing up with dyslexia.
She said: “My confidence has increased during the course, since I’ve learnt about why we experience self-doubt and how to manage it.
“This has been very helpful because growing up with dyslexia meant I always felt I wasn’t good enough, so this course has helped shift my mindset.”
She is encouraging others to explore similar opportunities, noting that GTR offers a wide range of apprenticeships.
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