Carla Amers
The core elements of my job are carrying out the maintenance that we’ve been asked to do, carrying out fault finding, reactive maintenance, and that may involve working weekends, nights – whatever’s required to keep the electricity flowing.
The key projects I’ve worked on include large generator transformers at Drax power station, replacement CTs on some of National Grid’s substations within my area and E1, and every other job which can sometimes - when there’s faults found - end up as large projects on supergrid transformers and circuit breakers.
If I didn’t do my job successfully the maintenance wouldn’t be carried out and the team wouldn’t be able to fulfil the tasks they’ve been given so it’s important that everyone involved carries out their tasks and responsibilities. I’d describe my job to a friend or industry colleague as very varied, an important role and everyone in my team who carries out the same role is very important, everybody contributes to maintenance and to fault finding, and brings something different through experience and learning. It’s a varied team so when we work together we manage to solve problems and keep things flowing.
In a few years time I see myself either in the field as a delivery engineer or possibly moving into construction or planning. There’s many routes you can go down within National Grid and every department supports you if that’s what you want to do. It just makes you more equipped – if you’ve worked in different areas, in terms of secondments which you’re more than supported to do if that’s what you want to do.