Lecturer in Automotive, Natalie, Lands her Perfect Job at the College after Years in the Industry
Natalie is a gifted lecturer in Automotive at the college, who has had a penchant for fixing cars in workshops and on driveways for many years. She had a dream to create the first female-led garage in the south, being then a ‘rarer’ female in the industry herself, particularly in the earlier days. Now she’s inspiring other students to walk the same path, with her vision and enthusiasm in all that she does.
At one point during her history at the college, she, her mum and her sister all worked here. Her mum (Lynda) was a Director of Quality, Academic Services and Higher Education, her sister (Carly) started here as an apprentice for College Futures Training in 1998, and left in 2004 after training and becoming an IT teacher (for the IT Learning Centre).
Natalie says: “My Mum’s start date was 2nd January 1990, she was the only member of staff on site in Lansdowne apart from security. She was here in various roles, and her first role at the college (as a Work Experience Coordinator) was 35 years ago!” Natalie originally started her formative years in Kent, moving to Poole at the age of seven. She spent many school holidays in college with her mum during her younger days.
She says she has seen lots of changes during her time. When she started her Automotive studies here in Sept 1999, the Art department wasn’t even here when she started – that used to be a carpark, and there was no University Centre – that building used to be Brickwork. She feels that now there is a lot more ‘unity’ across the college, and less solo-working. One change she welcomes is the growth of options there are for students now, ”there are such a range of courses and support for them to achieve their dreams”.
During her time here, she became a young mum which meant her life took quite a different turn for a number of years. She worked in a series of garages, honing in on her skills, and also as a Learning Support Assistant (LSA) for the college as a contractor in the Foundation and STEPs department from 2009. She also worked for NACRO – an organisation which works to give people the help they need for courses, whilst campaigning to achieve our vision of a society where everyone has the chance to succeed. She also worked as a Family Liaison Officer, which gave her an insight of the challenges that families encountered (particularly after Covid) and worked with multiple agencies to support young people back into education. Finally, she achieved the role she wanted as a lecturer in Automotive in February 2022 – a long time in the making – having previously completed her PTLLS Teacher Training in 2012 Natalie is currently in Year 2 of completing her Learning & Skills Teacher Training with the support of The College and her department.
Natalie has a wealth of experience working with young people in challenging situations, which makes her perfect for the role. She is unflummoxed, calm and capable of handling groups of learners. So much so, she received ‘Star of January’ for her contribution to the Ofsted inspection. She says of her colleagues, “There are eight of us, and I’m a ‘happy bunny’, as I love my team. As a group we’ve got the balance right, if any of us need help, we all step up to the plate to support, and I feel they fully have my back.” She adds: “You work harder because you’re in such a great team, sometimes you get a bit buried and busy, but they are always so great and I feel quite spoilt.”
