Meet Jade Sharp
In her own words this is the story of how Jade Sharp, Cheshire, became one of very few women in the country to be working as a plant operative in excavation:
“Prior to me getting my CPCS licence I had worked mentoring children in schools, project management support and sales negotiation in selling houses. Whilst I love the whole dressing nice for work and having that professional role and look, I am more of a hands-on person who has never been afraid of physical work.
From a young age I played on diggers and tractors in a dress with wellies on and from that point onwards I always had an interest in an outdoor hands on career. A friend of mine suggested I try working in the construction sector, however, I had no formal training. I was referred to the WaMT team at Procure Plus, who are a training hub as part of CITB’s OnSite Experience project. They funded and helped book me onto a CPCS plant operations course and I spent 5 days at HTM Training where I was trained on Health, safety & environment test pass, CPCS Theory Test achievement in the category of A59A Excavator 360 above 10 tonnes, and CPCS Practical Test achievement.
On completion of the CPCS qualification I then spent time working with a company called Cardona Projects to gain some site experience. It’s been great to have a mentor and to work closely with someone who is highly skilled in this industry and has helped me settle into a new sector. The site experience went really well, and I am now fully employed there as a Plant Operative across Cheshire and Greater Manchester.”
“The training provided by WaMT has allowed me to successfully get my CPCS licence and has opened so many doors to new work opportunities. I am a confident person who is never shy to talk to anyone however I was a little apprehensive about turning up initially for the training – however, it was brilliant.
The training instructor at HTM, Mark. was fantastic along with Callum. who helped arrange the relevant training for me. Having passed and holding my CPCS licence has boosted my confidence hugely and I thoroughly enjoy my new role. Completing the training helped me find a new passion for something I was good at.
The thought of previously working in a male-dominant environment was daunting, however that was a situation I misjudged until I started working in this environment. I absolutely love it. Moving forward I will continue to work on excavations and will develop my knowledge further. I find the work so therapeutic and enjoyable.
I am so grateful for WaMT, Procure Plus & the CITB for funding my course and giving me the opportunity do to something I love.”
7th April 2022