Jasmine Powell joined the Omnia Academy in September 2024, having started her post-university career in the finance sector. Although unfamiliar with the world of engineering, Jasmine had her heart set on becoming a Project Manager; now four months into her training, she’s taken to her new position as Lead on some of Omnia’s most ambitious, future-forward Projects like a duck to (perfectly coordinated) water. We caught up with Jasmine at Omnia Projects’ Cheshire office to discover how she’s handling this exciting- if daunting- career change, and what her future looks like at the Omnia Academy.
Hi Jasmine! Thanks for taking the time out to talk to us! So, why did you apply for the Omnia Academy?
I actually studied history, politics and international relations at university, and then I went into a job in asset finance. I really enjoyed it, but it was more of a stop-gap until I found what I wanted to do long-term, which was obviously project management. So I started studying on the side for the APM- the Association for Project Management- I did their Fundamentals qualification, which is basically like a foundation course; now I’m working on my Project Management qualification, which is the next level up. I joined the Academy on the understanding that this was the route I wanted to take, and they were obviously happy to oblige.
And now you’re a trainee engineer!?
I thought the same thing! But I guess it’s all about opportunities. I wanted to be a PM and the engineering industry opens so many doors. When I spoke to the Academy heads, I told them that I knew very little about the industry, but they assured me that becoming a Project Manager with a solid background in engineering makes you pretty indispensable. Since I started my HNC, it’s really broadened my outlook on what it means to be an engineer and what that involves. So, yeah, more than anything, I’d say that now I really appreciate the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of a project, and the steps you take to get there.
So how do you balance your workload between project management and the engineering side of things?
I recently started as a project lead- which is basically an assistant position to the project manager- and I realised pretty quickly that you can be the best PM in the world, but you’re still going to struggle if you know nothing about engineering. Where I’m at currently is that I’m starting to visit sites a little bit more- I’ve just been put on three new projects, all of which will need a site visit- and last month I took a training course in P6 which is kind of like the holy grail for PMs- it teaches you how to deal with every stage of project management. So that’s taking up a lot of my time at the moment, running various programmes and learning the ropes. The only issue I’m having is that there’s no ‘undo’ button!
Sometimes it can be hard to train in a new career after having been away from education for a while. What was it like going ‘back to school’?
I think that time is the most important thing you can give yourself- at first, especially with the HNC, and going back to training after being in finance for a couple of years- everything was completely foreign. I think some traineeships and courses expect students to just suffer in silence if they don’t understand something, so it’s been a relief that I can take my HNC work to the people in my office and they’ll give me all the time I need to get it right. This means that there’s always interaction between the classroom side of the programme, and the practical training- understanding the interaction between the two makes everything a lot easier to understand. But yeah- so much of my work is project-based that sometimes, it’s not even like studying- I’m doing a real job with visible results.
Four months in, how do you feel?
I’m pretty happy with what I’m doing now, especially the P6 side of things, though obviously there’s still a long way to go. The fact that we’re being supported by Omnia engineers who have years of experience makes all the difference. These guys have been in the industry so long for a reason, and they’ve all been completely open and supportive. It’s really in the culture at Omnia to pass knowledge along; it’s an unselfish way of doing things, and it’s just as well because at first, even going on a site visit was nerve-wracking, so having a strong support system and experienced engineer to touch base with is really important.
Obviously, you’re a woman in a male dominated industry- does that change your experience at all?
It was on my mind before I started- the whole ‘Women in STEM’ movement has been so positive in terms of breaking down gender barriers to industries like engineering, but sometimes, in the workplace, it just doesn’t play out that way. I’ve been really lucky in that respect; I can’t speak highly enough of the people I work with- they really care about their work, and the quality of service they provide, and it’s their role to help me deliver to that same high standard. So everything they do is with that in mind, and in that respect, I’m completely part of the team.
Has anything surprised you about your training thus far?
I didn’t expect to be doing so much so soon. The Omnia Academy isn’t a school; it’s the training branch of a very efficient, very dependable engineering consultancy, so their ethos is to get trainees onto projects and give them that practical experience as quickly as possible. If you’d asked me back in September if I’d be actually working as Project Lead on some really important projects, I’d never have believed you! Having been to university, I’ve seen both styles of education, and it’s amazing how involved I am already with projects which actually make a difference- the fact that I’m helping the UK move towards its decarbonisation goals becomes really important when you begin to understand the processes behind it- getting to visit the projects I’m working on puts it all into perspective, too.
Do you see your future with Omnia?
I do. The Academy has completely supported my ambitions and allowed me to steer my training in the direction I want it to take, which makes each thing I learn just a little bit sweeter- I have an active role to play in developing my strengths. I didn’t quite appreciate just how valuable it is to have an engineering background as a PM, so Omnia really has set me up for a career, not just a training programme. And with the industry being in a state of change right now- the UK’s climate targets get closer every year- it’s a really dynamic sector to work in and I imagine it’ll stay that way. It’s also important to me that I get out and participate in projects, so the fact that the Academy has enabled me to do that so soon after joining is a big plus. Besides, Omnia seems to have cemented its position at the heart of the industry- if you visit any of the really cutting-edge engineering projects around the country, chances are you’ll find an Omnia engineer. So I think I’ll be sticking around a while!