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Career Profile: Jason WhartonIn 1989 I left school with 9 GCSEs and embarked upon an apprenticeship in electrical/control engineering. It was during my apprenticeship that I was exposed to project work and in particular engineering and civil projects. I played minor roles initially due to my inexperience, but I found the work immensely pleasurable and rewarding.
It was at this time that I made the decision to gain the relevant experience and qualifications to pursue a career in project engineering.
At the end of my apprenticeship there were no opportunities with my employer to pursue engineering project work, so I sought new employment where I could gain further experience in engineering projects. In 1995 I joined Procter & Gamble as an electrical and instrument technician. My role involved minor project work and manufacturing support. I gained valuable experience in this role as I became involved in many aspects of managing tasks in global projects. I travelled to manufacturing units across the globe, met people from different professions and I enhanced my life skills.
In 1999 I felt that I had learned as much as I could from Procter & Gamble and I also believed that in order to progress to senior project engineering positions I required a third level qualification. So I left P&G and started a part time degree in engineering. I also joined Gallaher Limited as an electrical engineer on night shift in order to attend university during the day.
In 2001 I gained promotion within Gallaher and was appointed as a project engineer within the central engineering department. I was allowed to complete my degree and graduated in 2003. Within central engineering I am responsible for a diverse range of engineering projects with timelines from days to years, and capital budgets of several thousand pounds to several million.
Throughout my career I have tried to gain relevant experience and the appropriate qualifications to achieve my goals. Project engineering is a continual learning experience. I believe that professional accreditation is important and CPD is a good tool that can satisfy the continual learning requirement and, if used correctly, can also lead to professional accreditations.
Project management is a career in itself and combined with engineering makes for a very hefty workload. It is important to follow a disciplined form of project management and good routines are essential. The APM course in project management that I completed has proven to be a vital tool and I have put most of what I have learned into practice. I have not used the CPD service that the APM provides yet, but I fully intend to when I get the time. I also feel that networking with fellow professionals is of benefit as this can vastly enhance your personal and professional life.