“I’m a unique combination of very organised and very scatty, and I didn’t know this was my superpower until I started working on Project Selborne.”
Lauren talks about being celebrated for her unique talents on our partnership project with the Royal Navy, known as Project Selborne, to transform education and shore-based training for sailors and marines.
Learning in the classroom doesn’t suit everyone – my career in schools taught me that. But I’ve always been passionate about supporting students that learn in more practical ways, and that’s where Project Selborne came in.
As a Gateway Co-ordinator, my admin work is helping young people in the Navy gain apprenticeships. I didn’t know that, by helping amazing young people build their confidence, I’d learn to appreciate my own unique talents, too.
I’m brilliant at developing processes, but I can also be flexible on the fly. What felt like a weakness in the civilian world has become an absolute strength when I’m working in collaboration with the Navy.
Plus, working for Capita on the Selborne contract has opened a new world of career progression to me, with endless opportunities to grow and develop.
But working with the Navy was also a shock to the system. Everything military was new to me, and I was lucky to have colleagues who were happy to answer all my questions.
That was so important because – as a Black British woman – the world doesn’t always see me as British. I’d never have considered a career with the Navy because it is such a British institution. Now, I consider myself Navy by association, and it’s the perfect place for me to thrive.
Interested in flexing your superpower?
