Name: Katie McGrath
What dates did you study at Prior Pursglove College?: 2015 – 2017
Subjects studied: Accounting, Business, Use of Maths
Secondary School: Ormesby, now Outwood Academy Ormesby
Memories of Prior: Prior Pursglove was a step out of my comfort zone as all my friends went to other colleges and apprenticeships. However I soon made lots of friends and found the college a very welcoming place to be.
It provided me with such a safe environment to learn and make mistakes.
The teaching was second to none, and I was given all the tools I needed to succeed in my exams. The way topics are related to the real world make them so much more relevant and easy to learn.
They believed in me when I couldn’t believe in myself and that’s what helped me get the grades I got, which I am forever grateful for.
The Career Ready programme provided me with an amazing paid summer internship at Santander, which then became my part time job for 4 years alongside studying at college and university.
I remember it being a small friendly community, which I think is what made it feel such a personal experience rather than just being another number attending the college.
Current Profession: Financial Accountant
About the journey: Whilst at Prior Katie completed 3 A-Levels (Accounting, Business and Use of Maths).
She also completed the Career Ready programme, securing a summer internship with Santander, staying on for a further 4 years throughout university.
She completed a BSc (Hons) Accounting and Finance at Newcastle University, then joined the ‘Nucleargraduates’ graduate scheme, which ran for 2 years and included 3 placements at 3 different companies, in order to broaden her experience.
Her placements included Sellafield Ltd (Financial Accountant), Venator (Tax Analyst) and Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (Project Accountant).
Katie spent this 2 years widening her knowledge on the nuclear industry – this included visits to several nuclear sites including those in Finland and Canada, attending various networking events and starting her journey to become a chartered accountant with CIMA. She says the development opportunities are tailored to your profession and your skill gaps, e.g. she completed the APM PMQ to gain a project management qualification as she works in a project focused environment.
Katie has now secured a permanent role at Sellafield Limited as a Financial Accountant, where she is also the Chief Financial Officer on the Next Generation Executive (An Internal Leadership development programme).
She is continuing her CIMA journey to Chartership with an aim to being Chartered before she turns 25.