Emma Davison works as an HR and engagement officer for EQUANS which supports businesses, communities, and the public sector by mobilising its expertise to provide low-carbon energy solutions and transformative regeneration across the UK & Ireland.

Emma is one of the Greater Lincolnshire LEP’s Enterprise Advisers and joins us here to share her own apprenticeship journey and her positive experiences of pairing with Beacon Academy to raise career aspirations for these Grimsby youngsters:

Emma started as an apprentice herself with EQUANS just over eight years ago not knowing what she wanted to do as a career and is now working towards her Level 7 apprenticeship qualification - equivalent to a master's degree.  

“I became an Enterprise Adviser approximately two years ago and was immediately partnered with Beacon Academy just as the Covid-19 pandemic hit. At the time, everything was moving online and I didn’t actually get to visit the school in person for over a year. However, during this time I was still able to have regular meetings with the school and work with them on achieving their Gatsby Benchmarks – a framework for improvement in careers provision - and came up with a strong plan and schedule to integrate our business employees directly into Beacon’s lessons and (even more challenging) - to translate the real job roles we have into their core subjects.  

"Some examples included our architects participating in Maths lessons and our Marketing and Communications team leading discussion within English lessons. The aim of these sessions was to explain what these roles are about, why they are important, and how what the students are learning ties into tangible, good salaried jobs! But we also wanted to focus on how our architects and marketeers became these professionals by highlighting their own career paths. Some – like me - came through the apprenticeship route, others via university or work experience, and all demonstrating to the students the knowledge, skills and experiences they’ve gained along the way.  

"We are now planning some work experience placements within our company and are looking to host workshops around interview skills, CV writing and more. EQUANS have even had the opportunity to sponsor the school football kit as a joint success – giving our business heightened promotion whilst saving the school much needed budget to spend on core teaching.  

"I was drawn to volunteering as an Enterprise Adviser because I know myself from a young age how difficult it was to even consider what I wanted to do as a career or what my working future might look like. When I was at school it could sometimes feel like there were only a few options available, so I think it’s incredibly important to give students the opportunity to work with local employers and understand the different opportunities that are available to them that which may not have thought about- or even knew existed. Many students have had important school years taken away from them due to the pandemic, so it’s great now to be able to provide them with guidance on employability skills, some insight into the world of work, and opportunities to get involved in meaningful work experience."

To find out how to become a fully supported Enterprise Adviser, click here.  

Emma Davison 

HR & Engagement Officer, EQUANS