DCG Success Stories

Structural engineer Sarah Barker achieved a major first when in 2022 she became Derby College Group’s first female higher apprentice to pass End Point Assessment (EPA) on the Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship in Professional Construction (Construction Site Engineering Technician Standard)

Three years on, Sarah is continuing to make great progress in her career while also supporting a city and countywide initiative to promote suicide prevention.

Sarah is still with the engineering projects team at Derby City Council but is now senior technician. She also now holds the EngTech MICE qualification through ICE, the Institution of Civil Engineers

Among the projects she is currently working on is a bridge inspection programme which involves  inspecting and reporting on  bridge and structure condition data.

Through her  work with public health teams in Derbyshire and  Derby City Sarah is also  involved in supporting their  suicide prevention strategies and those that relate to the city’s highway network.

Aware of the issues among male employees in construction, in 2023 Sarah brought together staff from her department and construction contractors to play football, helping raise awareness and start conversations about men and mental health in the local industry.

This led to a football tournament at  Moorways Sports Village – and this year she’s helping to organise an even bigger event,  Baton of Hope Derbyshire’s Can You Kick It? seven-aside football competition  at Racecourse Derby on Saturday July 5.

Sarah still enjoys the variety in her job. Before she joined the Highways department she worked on the city council’s Street Pride team – a role that gave her useful insight into how the local authority works and which has proved invaluable in her work around the tournament.

Sarah didn’t go into construction straight from school (she returned to education when her children were six and seven) but she’s always been interested in how things  are made.

She said: “My uncles are builders and I remember them building a brick fireplace with an arch in it for my mum. I was only about seven but I was intrigued as to how they’d done it and how the arch managed to stay in place in mid-air!”

My experience shows that if you’re confident and willing to make the most of new opportunities as they come along,  then you can change your career direction. I enjoy my work and would definitely recommend a career in construction.”

The knowledge Sarah has acquired though her job and college has also been of use in her home life too. She and her partner, a builder, recently  completed their second house renovation project.