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Innovation is at the forefront for our engineering teams, as they work to determine the next products and solutions to help our customers with their operations. Meet Charlotte Guest, one of our marine engineers who leads a team to test, design and program our next great products.
By Danielle Wills and Charlotte Guest | Posted June, 2023
A: I'm from Poole in the UK. I've never lived anywhere else until this year. My partner and I recently moved to Bournemouth, but there’s not much distance between the two. It’s close to home, so I can easily visit my parents.
A: I heard about Caterpillar while attending Bournemouth and Poole College six years ago, when I was in a full-time, level two marine engineering course. My college helped me in preparing my CV and prepping for the interview. I started as a Marine Engineering apprentice in level two, and then shifted to general engineering. After working in a design engineering role, I then transitioned to a full-time role within the engineering department and I've been here ever since.
I used to be in the Sea Cadets, and I knew I wanted to do something related to that. Growing up, I developed a love of vehicle mechanics from my dad. I just put the two together and looked for businesses that cover both, and luckily, Caterpillar aligned as a company where I could start my career.
A: II’m a Product Change Control Engineer 1 for Caterpillar Marine. I’ve been in this role for three and a half years, and I’ve been working for Caterpillar for close to six years. I have also become the Design-To-Order Engineer during this time. I’ve dealt with the Caterpillar and Perkins brands and worked on every single engine from the C1.5 to the C7.1. What we work on ranges into auxiliaries, gensets and propulsion engines.
A: There are many tasks and activities that I do myself, but there are many that involve the wider engineering team. For certain jobs, the whole facility is involved. With design-to-order projects, everyone joins in to ensure that the customer receives what they want at the time that they want it.
A: I was the first female apprentice for the Wimborne facility. When I started my apprenticeship, I was extremely shy. The culture at Caterpillar – the range of ages and backgrounds – was very different from what I was used to. There was a time when I was timid. I was the only woman on the line, so I often thought, what do I say? What do I do? The people were very welcoming, and as time went on, they recognized me as part of the team.
We enjoy the company, we enjoy working together, and we respect each other – wherever we come from. We help each other. Our team is becoming increasingly diverse, and I’m excited to see more women embark on careers in engineering.
A: I had a major choice last year that involved me really thinking about my career and whether I should continue my studies. I decided the course I was studying at university wasn't right for me anymore – it wasn’t focused on my job role and what I wanted to pursue. Since leaving the course, I’ve been very focused on my personal development. As an employee, I want to learn how I can help others and strengthen communication. I recently attended a networking event focused on how someone can present themselves for a business case with stakeholders. I’m really concentrating on elevating my skills as my responsibilities are increasing.
A: Well, COVID-19 – I was not expecting that! And that really affected my mental health. The guys in engineering have been so supportive and helpful. They’re like a second family – always ready for a little chat if needed. When COVID-19 hit, I tried to adapt and keep going. Once Caterpillar employees began to return to the office for better collaboration, I found it very difficult. I became nervous for strange reasons. After a while I thought to myself, I was going into the office anyway before COVID-19 so what's wrong? I’m back in the office three days a week now, and my excitement to be among my colleagues continues to grow.
A: Recently, my partner and I bought a house, so we're decorating the entire place and stripping wallpaper! We also enjoy motor sports – marshaling, helping at rally events. My partner’s a driver and a navigator for one of the rally cars, and I often help and support him. Then there’s walking the dogs - I love dogs! Right now, I don’t have dogs of my own due to my schedule, but I can always visit my parents and steal the dogs from mum and dad!
A: The people that I work with, like Ian Webster and Ross Stoneham, our engineering manager. They were very supportive during my process of returning to the office. Everyone in the office supported me, but those two in particular were able to work with me to see what was best for my career. They really supported me in the big decision to leave university and they've provided me extra responsibility at work – which is exactly what I want.
A: In general, I'm just proud to be a Caterpillar employee. Whenever I speak to schools, I’m very enthusiastic about Caterpillar. I'm very proud to work here and wear the logo. I would definitely encourage people to join apprenticeships and work at Caterpillar. I’m also proud that my supervisor and my manager can give me additional responsibilities and trust me to execute to the best of my abilities.
I’m proud of some of the challenging projects I’ve worked on. Recently, I’ve been working on one that relates to emissions and compliance and had to really understand what we have to do to comply around the world. It's also involves understanding what can do as a facility to help us be compliant.
A: An apprenticeship is a good way to go, because you earn and learn at the same time – without debts. I really recommend seeking a hands-on experience so that you can become familiar with engines and parts; it helps tremendously. As for specific courses of study, if you enjoy something there’s always a way to do what you love. My studies started under marine, but changed to mechatronics. Mechatronics provides broad knowledge across all electrical and mechanical engineering, which was very beneficial.
A: I wish to enter into a supervisor role, and then work my way up into management. That's where I see my success.
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