What does it take to build a rewarding career in engineering — and does it matter how you get there? Not as much as you might think.

In this final episode of the Workplus NIE Networks series, host Richard Kirk sits down with two engineers whose routes into the company couldn't be more different. Joel McCreery studied electrical engineering at Queen's and joined NIE Networks' network innovation team straight from university.

Sinéad Norwood worked at Next for ten years, was a classroom assistant, and applied for a cable jointing apprenticeship at the age of twenty-six — after watching the children in her class apply during a careers session.

Together, they paint a vivid picture of what a career at NIE Networks really looks like: the variety, the responsibility, the learning, and the sense that no two days are ever quite the same.

Whether you're a parent, teacher, young person exploring careers, or someone thinking about a career change at any age, this episode is full of honest insight about what it means to do work that genuinely matters.

In This Episode:
— How Sinéad went from Next and classroom assistant to cable jointing apprentice at twenty-six
— Why Joel picked up a Queen's engineering brochure in the back of a classroom and never looked back
— What cable jointing actually involves — and why it is probably less dangerous than you think
— How NIE Networks supported Sinéad through a degree in electrical engineering after her apprenticeship
— What the network innovation team does and why flexibility services are key to Northern Ireland's net zero future
— Why resilience and adaptability matter more than any module you studied at university
— What change management looks like inside a major utilities company
— Why no two days are the same — from underground shutdowns to community forums
— The advice both guests would give their sixteen-year-old selves
— Why the possibilities within NIE Networks are, in Sinéad's words, endless

YouTube Chapters:
00:00 - Opening quotes
00:29 - Welcome to Workplus
01:14 - Meet Joel McCreery and Sinéad Norwood
01:20 - School subjects and early interests
02:32 - Sinéad's non-traditional path
03:09 - Joel's part-time work and summer jobs
04:22 - Joel's work experience in aerospace manufacturing
05:51 - How Sinéad's varied career led her to NIE Networks
07:39 - Applying for a cable jointing apprenticeship at twenty-six
08:53 - What cable jointing actually involves
09:54 - From apprentice to graduate: Sinéad's degree journey
11:17 - How Joel found his way to NIE Networks via Queen's and SONI
13:09 - What the network innovation team does
14:57 - Flexibility services and the energy transition
16:16 - Skills needed every day on the job
18:34 - Change management, resilience and adaptability
19:44 - Data, net zero and the future of the network
21:06 - Advice to their sixteen-year-old selves
22:59 - What is so good about work?
25:00 - Closing thoughts

Thanks for watching Workplus, the podcast that shines a light on the people doing good work across Northern Ireland.

Find more stories, resources, and tools to help guide the next generation at workplus.app

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🎧 Thanks for listening to Workplus, the podcast that brings real jobs into the light.

🔗 Find more stories, tools, and guides to help young people and returners explore meaningful careers at workplus.app

📩 Know someone who would find this helpful? Share it with a parent, teacher, or future changemaker.

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🎧 Thanks for listening to Workplus, the podcast that brings real jobs into the light.

🔗 Find more stories, tools, and guides to help young people and returners explore meaningful careers at workplus.app

📩 Know someone who would find this helpful? Share it with a parent, teacher, or future changemaker.

🎙Follow so you never miss a story.

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