Hollie White’s career with Polypipe Civils & Green Urbanisation, part of Genuit Group, began when she was 16, fresh from completing her GCSEs.
Fast-forward to today and she now leads the commercial team and is mid-way through her Operational Management (Level 5) apprenticeship at Loughborough College.
Hollie reflects on the start of her career journey: “My career with the business started twenty-three years ago. I’d left school with no A-Levels and got a job here in reception, basically an office junior role.”
“I then moved into sales, doing a similar role, and then the commercial department was created so I was a part of that team from 2004 to 2011 before stepping into the Commercial Manager role. Since then, we’ve completely transformed the department; we’ve gone from being a quote department to so much more, and my role has continually evolved with that, with more business development and project work.”
Hollie started to think about further education and progressing in her professional development but didn’t realise an apprenticeship could be suited for her: “In 2019, I started to think about professional learning, and my initial thought was to do a degree because, honestly, I didn’t really know that an apprenticeship in this area existed and I thought I’d be too old, but I found the Operational Management apprenticeship which I was eventually able to start when the pandemic was over.
The apprenticeship has allowed Hollie to develop new skills and confidence: “I’m due to finish the course in October, and it’s been really good. It’s way out of my comfort zone to go to college and meet new people, but meeting people and hearing other perspectives has been valuable.”
“I’ve been able to use the tools I’ve learnt at college in my everyday job and, in a way, it’s like working backwards – I’m doing my job and thinking ‘how could I actually make that relevant?’, but there’s nothing I’ve done on the course that’s not been relevant for my job, so it’s been really good. And if I take into account my daily job and family life, this apprenticeship fits in perfectly for that. It’s also nice to have something that’s mine and to be recognised and supported.
Hollie notes support from her team has been a great aid to her apprenticeship: “I think that support has been a common theme throughout my career, too. My leaders at Polypipe, like Matt Huskisson [Managing Director] and Sean Robinson [Specification Director], for example, have completely transformed my direction, my thinking and my career path. Before that, I was just ticking along and they made me think ‘actually, I’m capable of more than that’.”
“They’ve always been supportive of my childcare and family commitments, and there’s a general attitude here where it doesn’t matter what your gender is or where you’re from, you’re treated completely as an equal.”
On advice to other individuals thinking about pursuing an apprenticeship in the Construction and Building materials industry, Hollie says: “My advice to anyone considering the apprenticeship route would be, if you have your company’s support, just go for it. I don’t think you’ve got anything to lose – it could only add value to your role.”
“For me, being able to look at things differently and hear other people’s experiences has been the most valuable thing – being able to bounce ideas off each other and create friendships while learning has been great, and I would absolutely recommend it. It’s never too late!”
