A Day in the Life of Bentley's Benjamin McCormick
Interviews
In this week’s 'Day in the Life...' interview, Benjamin McCormick shares more about his Project Management Degree Apprenticeship at Bentley, as well as the ins and outs of his role as BeProud Co-Chair. He discusses Bentley’s diversity and inclusion journey, the challenging aspects of his role, and why inspiring a sense of belonging in the workplace is so important.
myGwork: Hi Benjamin, can you tell us a bit about your role and how you got here?
Benjamin: I joined Bentley nearly three years ago as a Level 4 Project Management Apprentice, after spending nearly three years working in the Probation Service co-ordinating community service. Since being at Bentley I’ve completed my Level 4 apprenticeship and moved onto the Level 6-degree programme.
myGwork: What does a typical day look like for you?
Benjamin: Most days are different, which is great! I’ve worked on different projects, so my schedule and tasks vary depending on these. These have included helping to manage a multi-million-pound portfolio of projects including budget and progress monitoring, meeting with Project Managers to do their project reporting as well as creating reports for the leadership team and steering committees. I’ve also had the opportunity to work on strategic transformation programmes delivering huge change to the business working with Colleagues from a range of levels and areas of the business.
As part of my apprenticeship, I go to University on Fridays, and get to meet project management apprentices from a range of different industries from defence to public broadcasting and learn how things work in their organisations.
myGwork: What part of your role do you enjoy the most?
Benjamin: Working with some extraordinary colleagues in our BeProud network to inform, include and improve the experience for our LGBTQ+ colleagues and community. It’s been amazing to see the journey our business has been on already to become the most inclusive brand in the automotive industry.
Being a degree apprentice is also a fantastic way to be able to gain subject knowledge through study and be able to put it into practice on the job developing new skills. The programme also means I get a fully funded degree along with other widely recognised training opportunities and qualifications as well as on-the-job experience.
myGwork: Which top three skills are vital for this role and why?
Benjamin:
1) Time management! Studying for a degree on top of work needs effective planning to make sure deadlines are reached.
2) Team working and interpersonal skills. It’s really important being able to work well with a wide range of people and stakeholders with different backgrounds and experiences as a project manager, as well as developing your network.
3) Problem solving. Rarely do projects go exactly to plan, as so many things can come up and impact them, so having good problem-solving skills and a ‘can do’ attitude makes a big difference.
myGwork: What’s the most challenging aspect of your role?
Benjamin: Balancing work, university, and network pressures; Uni can be busy at times with deadlines and assignments, so trying to balance this against project work can be stressful, but I like a challenge!
When I started, I also struggled with ‘imposter syndrome’ working in the manufacturing sector, especially for a brand like Bentley where I never imagined myself working. I initially felt that I wouldn’t fit in as I felt very different to my Colleagues around me, but I’ve been made to feel so welcome and come to see this as a strength as I’m able to bring a different perspective that’s helping to drive change within our historic brand.
myGwork: How do you help others feel like they belong in your team/promote inclusion?
Benjamin: Belonging is one of the most important things in any team. Most of us will spend a significant amount of our lives in work – why would anyone want to work somewhere they don’t feel they’re included for who they are?
Helping others feel they belong for me means leading by example. Particularly as co-chair of our BeProud network I believe in the need to live and be my authentic self so that those less confident with their identities or differences can see that they’re not alone. This comes in many ways, from wearing what best represents me (usually something pink and an array of Doc Martens) to speaking up when we need to make change, there are so many ways we can set the tone for inclusion.
myGwork: Which podcast/YouTube series would you recommend to someone interested in pursuing a career in this area to help develop their skills/prepare them for the role?
Benjamin: The Association for Project Management (APM) have some really useful guides and other resources on their website and social channels that are fantastic for anyone interested in Project Management. Students are also able to sign up for free membership!
myGwork: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Benjamin: I hope that in ten years I’ll still be getting involved in creating cultural and social change, whether that’s at Bentley or anywhere else I end up going – it’s a big passion for me! Other than that, it’s hard to predict, whilst I really enjoy project management who knows what lies around the corner!
You can connect with Benjamin on myGwork here.
