Chapel High Alumni

Jade Lomas

Class of 2014

What did you do when you left school?

I went to Aquinas College to study Sociology, Psychology and Health and Social (I wanted to be a midwife at the time). I then went to Leeds Beckett University to study Accounting and Finance. After my first year, I was offered an apprenticeship at the company I had been to for a summer placement.

How did you decide what you wanted to do? Who or what influenced/helped you?

Friends and family helped a lot. Talking to a variety of people gives you ideas that you wouldn't have thought/known about yourself.

Please tell us about your current role:

I currently work at Tenneco (Ferodo) in Chapel-en-le-Frith as a Management Accountant. I focus on the company's spending vs their budget, report on daily key performance indicators, ensure our suppliers are paid on time, and a lot more. I am currently working towards gaining a second professional qualification to advance further in my career.

How did you get into this type of work?

I was lucky enough to be offered an apprenticeship after completing a summer placement (this was a requirement of the university course). During this time I gained a professional accounting qualification with AAT. This consisted of lots of exams, portfolio work, presentations etc. Tenneco is a fantastic place to start your career as they offer a variety of opportunities and study packages to get their employees qualified.

What is the best thing about your current role?

The collaborative aspect. Liaising with every department is essential when working in Finance as they play a vital role in the work my team and I produce. I work closely with purchasing, logistics, engineers, HR, management, research and many more.

What advice would you give students who are thinking about their next steps after school?

Keep an open mind. Do your research! There are so many routes that young people can take after school and it's important to know that you aren't limited in your options. I think a lot of school students see college and university as their only way into a career, but this absolutely isn't the case. It is a great path to go down but so is an apprenticeship for example. Remember that you don't have to have everything figured out at 15/16, don't put too much pressure on yourself to have a specific career in mind.