Having reached a crossroads in her previous career as a chef on private yachts, Claire Humphries has been able to achieve her dream of becoming an electrician through an apprenticeship and LiveWest. 

Claire initially got a taster of our apprenticeship opportunities at our Women in Trades Day, which offered women the chance to try and their hand at plumbing, bricklaying and carpentry as part of our drive to increase the number of females in our trades’ workforce. 

Speaking during National Apprenticeship Week in February, Claire said: “I have been working as a chef for the last 20 years and was made redundant. I decided I was going to try something new and was driven towards a practical career after attending LiveWest’s Women in Trades Day. 

“It just confirmed what I thought I already knew – that I wanted to work in a practical profession. 

“It was always a tricky one as retraining at my age could be viewed as daunting. The other bit was whether an apprenticeship was right for someone like me. On the surface, an apprenticeship is for young people but that isn’t how it is. LiveWest made it very clear that they like to train people of all ages and your age would not be seen as a barrier. 

“That gave me the comfort to apply for an organisation that I know are diverse and inclusive and invest in all of its people.”

Our Women in Trades campaign was launched to increase the diversity of our trades’ workforce, providing opportunities for women in practical careers. The campaign has seen seven women trade apprentices recruited in the last year. 

Find out what a day in the life of Claire looks like at LiveWest in the video below. 

Visit our careers webpage to find out more about job opportunities including apprenticeships at LiveWest.