Telent colleagues come from a diverse range of backgrounds and from all walks of life which helps reflect the communities the business serves. Apprentice Wireless Engineer Geraldine is just one of many Telent colleagues who has an inspirational story to tell.

Having been in care as a teen, Geraldine sought support from Barnardo’s, a children's charity that protects and supports the UK’s most vulnerable children and young people. In recent years, she has been in supported lodgings through the charity. This has opened the door to several opportunities, including the chance to successfully apply for an apprenticeship at Telent with a view to becoming a Radio Systems Engineer in the future.

To show her appreciation for the support she’s received from Barnardo’s, Geraldine gives back in any way she can and has made a significant contribution – sharing her experience of being in care on a voluntary basis in a thoughtful and articulate way.

Most recently, Geraldine supported the charity’s ‘Kidmas’ promotion which highlighted the plight of children in care over the Christmas period. She took part in a promotional exercise making pizzas in placement with her host in supported lodgings.

She has also contributed to Barnardo’s Annual Equality and Diversity Conference, sharing her story and talking about her journey through the care system.

In recognition of her journey and to celebrate how far she has come Geraldine was nominated for the Regional Young Achiever Award (Central Region) at the Barnardo’s Excellence Awards in 2021 – and Telent is thrilled to share that Geraldine was shortlisted as the winner in this category!

The award recognises children and young people who have overcome challenges and had a positive impact on their peers.

Geraldine said: “I’ve certainly come a long way since first arriving at my supported lodgings with Barnardo’s. With the support of my host and the rest of the team my confidence has grown exponentially, and I believe this has helped me to secure my place on Telent’s apprenticeship programme. My team at Telent have helped me believe that I can achieve anything that I put my mind to. And they have inspired me to further explore my passion for maths and physics in a radio setting.”

“I was really pleased to even be nominated for an award, so to win was quite overwhelming. I’m excited to continue giving back in the future and hope my story will inspire others to get involved and support Barnardo’s too.”