A spotlight on: Elena Golita talks about her career

In 2021, Elena enrolled for a level 3 apprenticeship in “Leadership and Management” while she was working as a Civil Enforcement Supervisor at NSL. That’s what motivated her to progress into something that could expose her to the full parking process. She requested to transfer over to Project Centre two years ago, and has since made a huge impact on our parking projects and team. Her colleagues see her as an inspiration, and this year she has also been nominated for the Chartered Management Institute Apprenticeship of the Year Award.

Elena is committed to making a difference in the workplace, promoting active equality and inclusion initiatives. Last year, she spoke at the British Parking Association about the importance of raising awareness of the lack of women in the industry and what we can do to improve the situation.

Tell us a bit more about your career journey. How did you get into the industry and what motivated you to progress?

I graduated in 2013 in Romania, and then I worked in business sales for one year. I joined NSL in 2014, as a Civil Enforcement Officer, just two months after I moved to the UK. As a traffic warden, I liked the idea of making a difference on the streets. It was something new and challenging for me as there is not much parking enforcement in Romania.

I really enjoyed the role, and soon they asked me to train new officers. Then, I realised how much I enjoy guiding and coaching other people. I also received feedback that I was good at it eventually that got me a promotion to Senior Officer and then Civil Enforcement Supervisor. This is when I enrolled for a level three apprenticeship in Leadership and Management.

In my early career, I immediately found the parking industry to be so interesting. No two days are the same. After gaining experience as a supervisor, NSL promoted me to Enforcement Manager.

One year later, I realised that by being exposed only to the operations and to the front-line enforcement side of the business, I didn’t get much experience in project management. Therefore, here I am. In 2021, I decided that I wanted to experience the full parking process and I requested to transfer over to Project Centre.

Here, I can fully put into practice what I’ve learned as part of the apprenticeship modules. For example, “managing budgets and resources”, and “contributing to the delivery of a project” have been incredibly helpful for my development at Project Centre. This career change also made me realise that working for a Group like Marston just adds up to the perks. It’s easy to migrate from one of its companies to another, depending on what your career aspirations are.

You’ve recently completed your apprenticeship, congratulations! What did you learn and how did it help with your daily tasks?

Thank you. During my apprenticeship, I’ve learned about various areas of expertise required to become a chartered manager. I’ve learned about leadership styles and management models, time management, and how to manage conflict and poor performance within the business.

I’ve also learned how to manage challenging conversations and how important it is to use effective communication techniques to keep the team motivated and focused. This really adds to the pack of soft skills that a manager needs to succeed.

It’s interesting how I put all these into practice. For example, as soon as I was exposed to information about leadership styles, I realised that I should change mine, for better results and better performance from the team. This apprenticeship definitely shaped me as a team leader and manager, in a positive way.

Was it hard to manage the balance between working and studying? What type of support did you get throughout the apprenticeship?

Well, It meant extra work on a continuous basis. I also had to pass my functional skills tests for English and Maths, as I did not attend school in the UK. I undertook my apprenticeship throughout the Covid19 pandemic, so it was definitely a challenging time for me to work full time, look after my toddler and complete all the assignments in a good timely manner.

Being enrolled on an apprenticeship means you can take 20% off your time at work. So I could have some hours designed just to study. I also got lots of support from my line managers, both at NSL and then here, at Project Centre. It made a huge difference as that helped me to submit my work and pass my end-point assessment exams.

Also, both the Marston apprenticeship team and the external training provider were very helpful. They supported me in keeping all the milestones on track, including my portfolio submission. I also had access to the Management Direct library as part of my registration as an apprentice, which contributed to the amount of support I received. So once you join, you are not left alone to complete this journey. Luckily, you get a good team of people who are there to support you.

Any advice for new starters that want to get and progress in their career?

If you’re interested in progressing with your career, I’d strongly recommend completing any form of study that your employer offers you. This can be anything from apprenticeships to charterships and professional bodies memberships. Project Centre, and Marston as a Group, offer opportunities for each one of their employees if you’re interested in taking these on.

All these qualifications will only add value to your existing set of skills, knowledge and expertise. As previously mentioned, it implies extra work that you need to be able and willing to put in, but it will definitely pay off in the end.