Lisa-Marie joined Mace, HS2’s joint construction partner with Dragados, in September 2020. She’s now part of the team tasked with delivering HS2’s landmark terminus station at London Euston.
She drew inspiration from London’s stunning architecture when deciding on her career pathway and from an early age was fascinated at how unimaginable design concepts turned to reality.
Lisa-Marie studied hard to follow her dream of becoming a civil engineer and secured three A-Levels in Mathematics, Physics and Geography. Her drive and academic success led to her securing her degree-level apprenticeship and within weeks of joining, she became part of the Mace team designing and building Britain’s new railway.
Lisa-Marie said:
“The opportunity to work on Europe’s biggest engineering project and transform Euston Station ready for HS2’s arrival is beyond what I ever imagined would be possible at such an early stage in my career.”
HS2 is striving to address the gender imbalance inherent across the construction and rail engineering sector and is inspiring young people to take an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects and careers through its education programmes. Engineering UK’s 2018 report found that less than 12.5% of the engineering workforce is female and HS2 hopes that more young women will be inspired to follow in Lisa-Marie’s footsteps.
Lisa-Marie added:
“The best thing about my job is that I’m building myself a meaningful career. Railways and bridges get us everywhere we need to go and help create communities where everyone can thrive. It’s incredible to physically see that you have built something new, which will be around for many generations to come, and that’s something I’m really proud of.”
HS2 will create 2,000 apprenticeships during the project’s lifetime and it recently opened the recruitment window for this year’s intake of apprentices. HS2 Ltd is recruiting for 30 new starters and its construction partners are also adding new opportunities to HS2’s new online jobs board.
Lisa Marie sees her apprenticeship as an opportunity to educate and inspire younger generations to join the construction industry.
She adds: “The sky is truly the limit. In 2025, when I complete my apprenticeship with Mace, I hope to progress at my job and make a positive difference in the world by becoming a chartered engineer. This is just the very beginning of my journey and I know there is an astonishing future ahead.”
For information about careers with HS2’s construction partners visit hs2.org.uk/careers/careers-with-our-supply-chain/ or search the latest careers with HS2 Ltd at hs2.org.uk/careers
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