“I’m always made to feel that I’m an important member of the team”

Mark Kennedy
Apprentice Technician,

Mark is in his fourth and final year of an advanced modern apprenticeship within VT Airside Solutions at Heathrow airport. He was VT’s Apprentice of the Year two years in a row – 2006 and 2007.

VT has three workshops at Heathrow, each one handling a wide variety of vehicles and equipment. Mark has worked at two of these workshops, including TBE which is the largest.

“I joined the VT scheme because I wanted broader knowledge and experience than I’d get working in a mainstream car dealership or local garage. It’s certainly lived up to expectations, as I’ve now worked on ground support equipment ranging from Ford Fiesta vans to 70-tonne aircraft tugs. The hardest thing is trying to remember everything you’ve learned about an individual piece of equipment, but the workshop manuals are there if you need them.

“What I like most about working here is the friendly atmosphere. Although the technicians are highly skilled and experienced, they’re all very down-to-earth, helpful and easy to work with. I’m always made to feel that I’m an important member of the team.”

Professional development

“Being an apprentice isn’t just about gaining new technical skills, you’re also learning how to work in a safe and professional manner. So you’re given a fair amount of responsibility. In aviation, everything we do is critical in terms of safety and timeframe, and helping to achieve our objectives is very satisfying.

“VT Group do their best to reward people who work hard for the company and they always encourage you to learn more. It’s in everybody’s interests, after all.”

“Restructuring because your company is winning so many contracts is a great challenge to have!”

Natacha Keulemans
Financial Controller, VT Group - Education

Having joined the VT Careers Management business of VT Education and Skills division in 2002, Natacha has seen – and instigated – many changes.

“VT is always changing. It’s partly due to the contract-based nature of the business, and partly due to our own drive to expand and to do things better. Our careers tend to reflect this.

“I worked in VT for five years. In that time we grew from a team of one management accountant (me) and two assistant accountants looking after three careers companies, to a team of one finance manager (me), three management accountants and three assistant accountants, looking after ten companies. We also relocated twice, set up a joint venture company called SAS – and I had a baby!”

For Natacha, finance is very much part of the ‘real’ world, and helping to make business work better is something she finds hugely rewarding. “In a couple of careers companies, the operations managers weren’t receiving any useful financial information to help them make decisions. So I restructured their finances and developed their reports, setting up processes to give them the accurate and timely information they needed.”

Moving on

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time in VT, but after five years I wanted to develop my career further. So I was excited to find out about the financial controller role at VT, and the part I could play in supporting their growth. I transferred there in 2007 – moving to a new a job, house and nursery in Surrey.”

When asked to summarise her role, Natacha laughingly describes it as “The Fat Controller” – while not underestimating the stress of managing change. “The pressure’s on, due to a step change in the company’s turnover. But having to restructure because your company is winning so many contracts is a great challenge to have!”

“You’re quite likely to find yourself chatting to the MD while making a coffee in the kitchen!”

Paul Firth
Project Manager, VT Group - Broadcast 

Paul’s career would have taken a very different turn if he’d taken up a job offer from a major management consultancy. So why did he choose VT?

“I wanted to extend my project management experience with a company that would give me access to commercial projects and customers – as well as to defence-based projects, which is where my previous experience had been.

“I felt the sheer diversity of VT’s businesses would give me the greatest potential to progress, whether I stayed in project management or not. And there was a real sense of camaraderie, which is important to me.”

A different perspective

So, no reservations at all? “If you don’t have a technical background, working with amazing technology in mission-critical systems can seem daunting. But you soon realise it’s not necessary to know every aspect of every job. In fact, not being an engineer helps me bring an element of objectivity.”

Paul manages projects in the broadcast part of the business. Still only four months into the role, he has completed a number of existing projects, including the creation of a new Media Management Centre and the installation of transmitters at a high-powered radio transmitter site. Variety is something he relishes. “One minute I might be involved in testing a new piece of software, the next I could be talking to a transmitter supplier in Croatia.”

Open to change

“What’s been most satisfying so far has been introducing a new project management process on a pilot project. Faced with a new member of staff rolling out a new process, people could have acted quite negatively, but they couldn’t have been more co-operative. I felt this demonstrated a willingness to accept change.”

This openness comes from the top. “The accessibility of the senior management team has been a revelation. There really is an open-door policy wherever you go, and you’re quite likely to find yourself chatting to the MD while making a coffee in the kitchen!”

“I’m getting paid to learn”

Stuart Taylor
Apprentice Technician, VT Group

Stuart had studied Motor Vehicle Mechanics at college for a year and was interested in motor vehicle apprenticeships, when he found out about the opportunity at VT Group. He applied and was successful.

“I expected the apprenticeship to be challenging, but I thought the actual car maintenance would be a walk in the park. Big surprise – there’s a lot of work involved in maintaining police cars!

“What I enjoy most is the variety and responsibility. For example, I’m doing a five-tyre change by myself and although I’m supervised I’m not shadowed. I’ve had exposure to things I wouldn’t have if I’d continued in college – like stripping down the interior of a BMW E61 to check the rear shock absorbers – and what I’m most proud of, removing and refitting an engine.”

More opportunities

Stuart can’t see any downsides to the apprenticeship. “I still attend college one day a week, but I also get to put theory into practice, and I get paid a monthly wage.” And the opportunities aren’t just to do with work. “You can get involved in things outside the business too. I was part of a team redeveloping a garden for a charity.”

“Everyone’s willing to offer support and share their knowledge”

Cindy Wan
Broadcast Project Accountant, VT Group - Broadcast 

Having graduated in Accountancy and Mathematics at Sheffield University, Cindy decided to apply for a graduate scheme in finance.

“I looked at many schemes, in both the commercial and public sectors, but chose VT Group because they offered the most flexible placement opportunities while ensuring that I fulfilled the requirements to qualify as a chartered accountant.”

Now in her second year on the Group finance graduate scheme, Cindy is learning the fundamentals of finance through job rotation.

Enjoyable challenge

“What I really like about the scheme is the diversity. I own a number of projects, which I run the month-end accounts for, and I’m also expected to take on projects for Group. I have something different to work on every few weeks, so I’m constantly acquiring new skills.

“The highlight so far has been writing an accounting paper for a new project we’re undertaking with Arqiva, the broadcast infrastructure company. I was able to put the accounting theory I’d studied into practice, and now the paper can be used as a starting point for future projects.”

Valued input

One thing that has surprised Cindy is the level of trust and responsibility invested in her. “From the start, I found myself in business planning meetings with company directors. Recently I was part of a graduate team presenting to the General Executive Committee. And in my current role I’m often required to challenge senior management on the way things are done. You don’t get that on most graduate schemes.”

Balancing act

“I have excellent support for my CIMA qualification, with flexible options for balancing the day job with courses. Currently I use the block release approach, where I get time off work to go to college and for study leave. But I also have to manage my own workload, which is probably my biggest challenge!”