Case Study: Ashley Davenport
Position: Teaching Laboratory Technician at Durham University
Key Attributes: hard-working, communicator, self-motivated
Qualifications: A-Levels, Certificate of Higher Education, Apprenticeship
“Stick with stuff, and if it doesn’t work out, don’t be afraid to try something else. Your path in life isn’t set in stone after 21.”
At a glance
Ashley looks after a teaching laboratory and prepares all the resources students need for their chemistry experiments. She is hard-working and self-motivated and has lots of tasks to complete each day, keeping the lab running smoothly even when there are no students around. Ashley is a communicator and works with students and teachers to understand what everyone needs for their experiments.
Finding a different path
Sometimes it takes trying something to realise it’s not the right fit, and that’s exactly what happened for Ashely:
“I went to university for Radiotherapy and while I enjoyed the practical and social aspects, I also found the academic setting was not for me.”
After leaving with a certificate of higher education, Ashley decided to try a different route. She applied for an apprenticeship as technical staff at Durham University. This was during the COVID pandemic, which brought its own challenges, but Ashley greatly enjoyed it and it led to the job she has now.
At A-Level, Ashley had studied Physics, Chemistry and Maths, which gave her a strong foundation for technical work in a chemistry lab.
Working in a teaching lab
Most of Ashley’s work is looking after the lab and preparing the resources students need to complete their experiments. This means knowing where everything is and making sure it’s ready when students arrive.
Being hard-working is essential because there are lots of tasks to complete each day, and not always a lot of time to do them in. Outside of term time, when there are no students around, there’s still plenty to do.
Life outside the lab
Outside work, Ashley enjoys board and tabletop games, and paints miniatures. She also likes visiting art galleries and history museums on her days off. These hobbies show her creative side and give her a break from the technical work in the lab.
Ashley’s advice to young people is simple but powerful:
“Stick with stuff, and if it doesn’t work out, don’t be afraid to try something else. Your path in life isn’t set in stone after 21.”
Ashley’s journey from university to apprenticeship to permanent technical staff shows that there are many routes into STEM careers. Sometimes the path isn’t straight, and that’s perfectly fine. What matters is finding work that suits you and being willing to adapt along the way.
