A former fast food worker has a new career in tech after she used the time on furlough to transform her career prospects.
Charlotte Wilkins from Cheetham Hill, began working at McDonald's as a 16-year-old college student, and put in years of early starts and late finishes at some of the country's busiest branches.
She spent her first five years with the company at McDonald's St Ann's branch, before moving onto the branch at Manchester Arena, which has since closed.
From 2015 she worked at the Piccadilly Gardens venue, but, in March 2020, when the country entered its first nationwide lockdown, Charlotte was furloughed from her job as a shift manager.
Determined to make the most of her free time, Charlotte decided to find a new job.
Now, after acquiring new skills on lockdown, she is working as an associate solution engineer at a cloud tech company Matillion.
Leaving McDonald's at Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester city centre has transformed the 28-year-old's life.
“One of the biggest differences between working at McDonald's and my new job in tech is probably having weekends off and working the same hours every week," she says.
"At McDonald's I had a mixture of shifts from 5 am starts to night shifts where where I'd finish work at 3 am.
“(Now) everyone I work with has the same days off and I don’t get messages on my day off.
“It feels like I can really switch off on my days off and not be asked about things at work.
“I can plan things around my life now, I’ve joined a netball team, I have a better sleeping pattern and I can finally get my nails done without having to remove them for work because I’m no longer working with food!"
Charlotte got into her new job by searching online for adult courses in technology and applying for the Prince’s Trust and Generation Amazon Web Services Re/start Course, which helps people gain skills for the tech industry.
She found work just a week after completing the 12-week course, starting at her new position in January.
“When I got furloughed I didn’t really have a structure in my life," she says.
“I thought this was a time to look at courses and find a new career.
"I enjoyed my job at McDonald's but I knew it wasn’t something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
The Prince’s Trust are committed to providing the skills, support and experience young people need to succeed in life.
They are embarking on a ground-breaking new partnership with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to help young people from across the region cope today and prepare for tomorrow.
Through their range of free courses and tailored support, they are helping 11 to 30 year-olds build their skills and confidence, enabling them to take their next step into work, education or training.
You can find out more via their website.
