Spark Tees Valley

Click to find out more

Find out how to get their job!

In Summary:

Who is Danielle and what does she do? Danielle is a senior therapeutic radiographer. This means she helps look after people who have an illness called cancer. Every day, she uses a powerful type of invisible energy called radiation to carefully target and zap away bad lumps (called tumours) inside the body to help the patients feel better. She makes sure patients are set up in the exact same position every day to give them this special treatment.

Is it all just science? Not at all! You might think a radiographer just works with machines and needs to be an expert in physics (how energy works) and human biology (how our bodies work), and Danielle does use those clever skills. Actually, a very important skill for Danielle is communication (talking and listening). She spends a lot of time chatting with patients to support them through their treatment. It is the best of both worlds!

How did she get this job? The sources don’t tell us exactly how Danielle trained for her job. However, Danielle mentions that many people only learn about her career because a family member had cancer and needed radiotherapy. She really wants to promote what she does so more people know about it.

What is the best part? Danielle’s absolute favourite thing about her job is supporting and caring for her patients. Coming to the hospital for cancer treatment can be one of the worst experiences of a person’s life, so she loves making their visit as easy, comfortable, and supportive as she possibly can.

Think of it like this: Being a therapeutic radiographer is a bit like being a superhero with a healing laser. Danielle has to use clever science to aim her energy beam perfectly at the bad cells, but her real superpower is being a kind and caring friend who holds her patients’ hands and helps them feel brave!

Spark Tees Valley

Click to find out more

Find out how to get their job!

In Summary:

Who is Sarah and what does she do? Sarah is a specialist kidney dietician. Her job involves helping poorly patients whose kidneys have stopped working. These patients need a treatment called hemodialysis, which uses a special machine to clean their blood three times a week. Because this treatment can make them feel very sick and not want to eat, Sarah helps them figure out the best special diets to get enough energy, calories, and protein to stay strong.

Is it all just science? Not at all! You might think a hospital job means you just look at biology and complicated science all day. But Sarah says that while you do need to understand how health and nutrition work, that’s only one part of it.

Actually, the most important skill for Sarah is communication (talking and listening). She has to take all that tricky medical and science information and translate it into simple words. This helps her patients understand exactly why they need a special diet and how they can easily manage their food every day.

How did she get this job? When Sarah was at school, she didn’t even know this job existed! When she was about 15 or 16 years old, she had a meeting with a careers advisor who told her about it. She thought it sounded like something she could do, and she has enjoyed doing it for over 25 years.

What is the best part? Sarah’s absolute favourite thing about her job is the people. She loves working closely with her patients and being part of a really good hospital team that includes doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, and pharmacists.

Think of it like this: Being a kidney dietician is a bit like being a food coach for someone running a really hard race. Instead of just handing patients a confusing science book, Sarah figures out exactly what their bodies need and coaches them on how to eat the right meals to stay as strong as possible!

Spark Tees Valley

Click to find out more

Find out how to get their job!

In Summary:

Who is Claire and what does she do? Claire is a senior podiatrist who has worked for the NHS for 24 years. Her job is all about looking after people’s feet. She checks to make sure feet are healthy and have a good blood supply, watches how people walk (which is called biomechanics) to help them walk better, and even does small operations to fix sore or thick toenails.

Is it all just sitting in a clinic? Not at all! You might think a podiatrist stays in one room all day, but Claire works in lots of different places. Sometimes she is at the hospital working with older people or children, and other times she gets to drive out into the countryside to visit patients right in their own homes.

Actually, the most important skills for Claire are being good with her hands and being good with people. She also needs to be great at assessing patients and using special tools. For example, she uses something called a Doppler to listen to foot pulses and special tuning forks to test if people can feel things properly.

How did she get this job? When Claire was 13 years old and at school, she didn’t know what she wanted to do for a job. She had to look through a big book of jobs for a school project and found “chiropodist” (which is what podiatrists used to be called). She read about what it was, instantly thought “that’s me,” and went straight for it.

What is the best part? Claire really likes it when her treatment plans work. However, her absolute favourite thing about the job is being able to instantly make somebody feel better. If someone comes in with a sore corn, it is very easy for her to take it out, and the patient often leaves thinking she is amazing.

Think of it like this: Being a podiatrist is a bit like being a mechanic, but instead of fixing the wheels and suspension on a car, you are fixing the feet and walking of a person! Claire uses her special tools and hands-on skills to make sure everyone can walk smoothly, comfortably, and pain-free

Spark Tees Valley

Click to find out more

Find out how to get their job!

In Summary:

Who is Hazel and what does she do? Hazel is a student dietitian. Her job involves getting real-world experience working in three different hospital wards: children’s (paediatrics), cancer (oncology), and kidney (renal). She helps children with food allergies get all the right nutrients from the “eat well plate,” provides special milky drinks or easy-to-eat foods like cheese to cancer patients who have trouble swallowing, and acts like a food detective for kidney patients by checking to see if certain foods are altering their blood levels.

Is it all just maths? Maths is actually a really important part of her job! Hazel needs to know the basics of calculations to figure out what her patients need, which includes adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, and even using fractions and ratios.

Actually, another really important skill for Hazel is communication (talking and listening). She needs to be able to talk nicely and use the right language with people. She spends time making good connections with her patients and their families so they feel supported.

How did she get this job? Hazel started by studying nutrition and completing a four-year degree. This made her really interested in the clinical side of things—like how the body works and how food affects diseases in a hospital. Now, she is doing a college placement, which means she gets to practice the roles of real dietitians to see what she likes best before doing it full-time.

What is the best part? The best bit for Hazel is definitely working with all the different patients. Her absolute favourite thing is helping people get better and improving their health and habits.

Think of it like this: Doing a hospital placement is a bit like learning to cook by working in a real, busy restaurant kitchen instead of just reading a recipe book. Hazel is learning by doing, using food like a superpower to help poorly people heal!

Spark Tees Valley

Click to find out more

Find out how to get their job!

In Summary:

Who is Tegan and what does she do? Tegan is an apprentice “therapeutic radiographer” at James Cook Hospital. Her job is to help treat people who are poorly with cancer. She helps get patients ready for their treatment, answers the telephone, and even talks to patients over a microphone to keep them company and make them feel safe when they are in the treatment room all by themselves.

Is it all just science and machines? Not at all! You might think working in a hospital with big treatment machines means you just do science all day, but Tegan says the most important skill is communication (talking and listening). She spends a lot of time chatting with patients to support them. Sometimes patients have a bad day, and Tegan tries her best to cheer them up and put a big smile on their face.

How did she get this job? Tegan decided she wanted to do this job because her dad had his own experience being poorly. Before she started, she did some work experience and volunteered at the hospital to make sure it was the right job for her. Now she is doing an apprenticeship, which is a special way of learning where she gets to practise real skills in the hospital instead of just reading about them.

What is the best part? Tegan sees the same patients every day for many weeks, so they get to know each other really well. Sometimes, patients talk to her about things they don’t even want to tell their own families. Her absolute favourite thing about the job is supporting people through a tough time and being there to see them finally finish their treatment.

Think of it like this: Doing an apprenticeship is a bit like learning to bake by helping a real baker in a busy kitchen, rather than just reading a recipe book. Tegan is learning by actually doing the job, and every day she uses her friendly voice and smile to help people feel much better!

Spark Tees Valley

Click to find out more

Find out how to get their job!

In Summary:

Who is Graham and what does he do? Graham is the Chief Developments Officer at Riyadh Airport. His job is to make the airport much bigger because lots of tourists are travelling there. He is in charge of adding extra runways for planes, new terminal buildings for passengers, and tall air traffic control towers. He also meets with important government bosses who want to know when the building work will be finished.

Is it all just building? Not at all! You might think making an airport is just about bricks and cement, but Graham also has to think a lot about helping the planet by making the airport eco-friendly (this is called sustainability). He also has to focus on brilliant customer service so that his airport can beat its competitors, like the big airports in Dubai and Qatar.

Actually, what are his main skills? Actually, Graham needs a keen eye for architecture (designing buildings) and uses his knowledge of maths, science, and physics to make sure everything works perfectly. He spends a lot of his time communicating with different project directors and government ministers to keep everyone working together smoothly.

How did he get this job? When Graham was younger, he was always interested in building things. He really loved architecture, as well as maths and science. This mix of interests naturally led him into building airports. His very first big project was helping to build the famous Abu Dhabi International Airport!

What is the best part? Graham’s absolute favourite thing about his job is getting to work with some of the greatest architects in the whole world. He loves being in the room when these brilliant designers share their exciting ideas for new buildings.

Think of it like this: Think of it like this: Building a giant airport is a bit like playing a massive game of Lego or Minecraft, but in real life! Graham works with a huge team of clever designers to snap all the right pieces together, creating a super-cool place that welcomes people from all over the globe.

Spark Tees Valley

Click to find out more

Find out how to get their job!

In Summary:

Who is Lucas and what does he do? Lucas is a pilot, specifically a “second officer”, which means he is the second-in-command of the aeroplane and sits in the right-hand seat. Part of his job involves having a meeting called a “briefing” with the rest of the crew to plan the journey and make sure all the passengers are perfectly safe. He works together with the cabin crew as a team to give everyone on board a great journey.

Is it all just maths? Well, maths actually helps a lot! Lucas says he has a “mathematical brain” and loved science at school, especially physics. He says that physics is a major part of becoming a pilot, and he was proud to be a bit of a maths and science geek.

Actually, another extremely important skill for Lucas is communication (talking and listening). He has to speak clearly to the captain who sits right next to him. He also uses the aeroplane’s tannoy (loudspeaker) to tell the passengers about the weather where they are going, or to explain what is happening if there is a delay.

How did he get this inspiration? Ever since Lucas was a little boy, he wanted to be a pilot. He got this inspiration because his dad worked at airports, which sparked his dream to fly.

What is the best part? Lucas gets to travel the world, see different cultures, and visit famous monuments. However, because he loves chatting with people, his absolute favourite thing is meeting new people every single day and learning all about their stories and journeys.

Think of it like this: Being a pilot requires a lot of organisation, just like going to school! Pilots get something called a “roster”, which is exactly like your school timetable. It tells them exactly what times they need to come in and who they are flying with so the whole day goes perfectly to plan

Spark Tees Valley

Click to find out more

Find out how to get their job!

In Summary:

Who is Anthony and what does he do? Anthony is an author, an illustrator, a painter, and a secondary school supply teacher. On a typical week, he spends time typing on his laptop in his kitchen, painting pictures, and taking photographs.

Is it all just writing stories? Not at all! You might think authors just sit alone at a computer all day, but while Anthony does enjoy his quiet writing and painting time, a massive part of his job involves getting out and about.

Actually, being a good communicator is a really important skill for Anthony. When he does school author visits, he relies on his talking and listening skills to build strong relationships with the students and his fellow teachers.

How did he decide on his job? When Anthony was at school, he thought he was going to be a vet because he loves animals so much. However, he changed his mind because he didn’t want to have to cut poorly animals open! He says he actually “drifted through life” not always knowing what he wanted to be. Even now, he sometimes wonders what he will do when he grows up, but he has found a really nice balance by combining teaching, art, and writing.

What is the best part? Anthony’s absolute favourite thing about his work is visiting primary schools to meet young people. He gets a real thrill out of doing workshops and getting children energised and excited about reading and writing.

Think of it like this: Anthony’s career is a bit like having a giant box of Lego! Instead of just following the instructions to build one normal job, he has clicked lots of different pieces together—like his love for drawing, making up stories, and helping kids learn—to build his very own, exciting adventure.

Spark Tees Valley

Click to find out more

Find out how to get their job!

In Summary:

Who is Mark and what does he do? Mark is the Head of Customer Experience. His job is to look after the whole journey a customer goes on when they buy or rent special machines that make electricity. He makes sure that everything, from looking at the website to finally using the machine, is really simple and easy.

What are the most important skills? You might think he needs to be a wizard at building machines, but actually, the most important skill for Mark is communication (talking and listening). He spends a lot of time chatting with his teammates and customers to understand their problems so he can put plans together to fix them. He says that listening carefully, without interrupting, is a brilliant skill to have.

How did he get this job? When Mark was little, he didn’t know what he wanted to do. In fact, he says he probably still doesn’t! He has worked in lots of different businesses over the years. Over time, he realised that the most important thing for him is making a positive difference to the people he works with and the environment.

What is the best part? Mark really likes engaging with everybody in the business about so many different things. He also works with some super cool science! His company uses amazing machines called “hydrogen power units” to make electricity, and instead of blowing out yucky smoke, the main thing that comes out of them is water.

Think of it like this: Being a Head of Customer Experience is a bit like organising a trip to a brilliant theme park. Mark’s job is to make sure that from the moment you look at the map to the moment you go on the rides, everything is super easy to use, works perfectly, and leaves you with a massive smile on your face!

Spark Tees Valley

Click to find out more

Find out how to get their job!

In Summary:

Who is Callum and what does he do? Callum is a hydrogen engineer apprentice. His job is to help build, fix, and look after special machines called “hydrogen power units”. These clever machines take hydrogen (a type of gas) and turn it into electricity to power things.

Is it all just sitting at a desk? Not at all! You might think engineers just draw plans on computers, but Callum does a very hands-on job. He uses his mechanical and electrical skills to build things with his own hands and make sure the machines are the highest quality possible.

Actually, the most important skill for Callum is teamwork and safety. Because working with hydrogen gas means you have to be very careful, he spends a lot of time working with his teammates. He has to be aware all the time to make sure everything goes right and everyone stays completely safe.

How did he get this job? When Callum was at school, he got brilliant grades, but he was unsure what he wanted to do next. He knew he didn’t want to spend years sitting in a college classroom or spend lots of money going to university. Instead, he chose an apprenticeship. This is a special way of learning where you get to do a real job and learn real skills instead of just sitting at a desk.

What is the best part? Callum really loves that every single day is completely different. His absolute favourite thing is getting to work with exciting, fast-growing hydrogen technology, which is something you can’t really do anywhere else.

Think of it like this: Callum has loved playing football since he was five years old, which he says helped him get good at hands-on skills. Doing an apprenticeship is a bit like learning to play football by actually getting on the pitch and playing in real matches, rather than just reading a book about the rules in a classroom. Callum learned by doing, and now he helps create electricity

Spark Tees Valley

Click to find out more

Find out how to get their job!

In Summary:

Who is Emily and what does she do? Emily is a Strategy and Planning Manager at a company called GeoPura. A big part of her job is looking into the future to figure out how the company is going to grow, like making sure they have the money and people to build 10 times more clean energy machines (called HPUs) over the next five years. She gets to do all this work on her laptop at her home in Newcastle, with her dog snoozing on a bed right behind her!

Is it all just maths? Yes, a lot of it actually is maths! Emily uses maths every day, building big financial models on a computer system called Excel. She uses these models to look to the future and figure out exactly how much money the company is making and how much money they will need. Luckily, maths has always been one of her favourite subjects.

Are there other important skills? Talking to people is also a very important part of Emily’s job. She spends lots of time on calls with people from big banks in London. She has to explain her plans clearly to convince these banks that GeoPura is a great company and that they should invest their money in it.

How did she get this job? When Emily was younger, she loved maths and PE, and she actually wanted to be a PE teacher until she was about 14 or 15. She later went to university to study engineering, but after doing a work placement, she realised engineering was really boring! Instead, she went to work in finance on a graduate scheme for a company called KPMG. While working there, she gave advice to GeoPura, and they liked her work so much they recruited her to join their team three years ago.

What is the best part? Emily is never bored because no two days are ever the same. GeoPura is a pioneer at the very front of the hydrogen energy industry, which means they are facing exciting new challenges all the time. Her favourite part is that there is no other company in the world they can copy, so she gets to put her mind to figuring everything out herself.

Think of it like this: Being a pioneer at GeoPura is a bit like playing an exciting new game that no one else has ever played. Emily can’t just look up the rules or copy what other players did to win, because her company is the very first one playing! Instead, she has to use her maths and problem-solving skills to beat the new challenges and figure out the path all by herself