North East England

Position : Maintenance Manager
Company : Huntsman
Location : Tees Valley

“Moving here is the best thing I have ever done.  I was born in Blackpool and was working for ICI, at the Hillhouse site as a maintenance technician when the plant was closed.  I had the option of taking redundancy and looking for work in the area or moving elsewhere with the company.  I applied for a job over here with ICI as a maintenance technician, worked to First Line Manager, then became the Assistant Mech Engineer and I’m now the Maintenance Manager.

To take the step into that arena I needed an HNC which I gained through structured learning.  I did the learning at home but had people at the university to help.  The company also brought in a lecturer for a couple of hours a week who set assignments and discussed any issues we had.  It was a really good way to complete the HNC as each week I had someone mentoring me.

The good thing about chemical companies is that they’re worldwide.  If you apply yourself and are good at what you do, you have opportunities to go all over the world.  I’ve been to Giesmar in the States and Rozenburg in Holland; other Huntsman locations are in  Australia, China, Italy and many more. 

But the North East is not just about industry.  We live in Ingleby Barwick, only 15 minutes away from work.  Ten to 15 minutes the other way and I’m out on the North York Moors.  There is so much to do here - the seaside, Teesside Barrage where there’s a white-water course for kayaking, galleries and theatres in Middlesbrough.  And in an hour and a half, you can be in Scotland.

In the North East everybody takes time out, they are very friendly, they want to get to know you.  We have brilliant friends back in Blackpool, but we haven’t lost them as they love coming over here to see us.  We’ll say “what do you want to do today?” and we’ll go to the barrage, go kayaking, play golf. I was born in Blackpool but I call this my home.”