Apprentice Vehicle Technician to IT Department may not be the most trodden career journey, it is however the path of our Lead Application Analyst, Elisha Fitzpatrick. We sat down with Elisha to find out more.
Tell us about your current role at Allied Vehicles.
I’m a Lead Application Analyst. The team look after web applications and software applications. Jack Provan and I support the administration, configuration and automation of the applications to make sure we can use these tools to help others to do their jobs effectively and efficiently.
These apps take the manual process out of tasks, turning them into a digital process. This helps to streamline the way people do their jobs.
Can you give us an example of how this works?
The very first Power Apps project I worked on was to help solve the issue of tracking vehicles. There were constant email chains rather than one source of truth. Different departments were all on the email chain, and it could be miles long, so I was asked to look into a process. I learned ‘Power Apps’ from scratch to develop a quality issues tracker which is now a single application where people can log issues and assign them to different departments.
What was your journey to Allied?
I didn’t do great with my exams at school but had a real interest in bikes and cars, so I went to college as an apprentice vehicle technician. It was with GTG, and I worked at Arnold Clark. I did three years as an Apprentice and two years as a qualified technician there and wanted a change. I wasn’t really enjoying the job and saw a job role for a ‘first line support analyst’ at Arnold Clark and thought it was something I’d be really good at.
The IT Director took a chance on me because of my passion and within a year I was promoted into a second line support role.
What was it like being a female apprentice in such a male dominated field?
It was quite tough. I felt like the boys would get away with so much.
What do you like to get up to when you’re not at work?
I really like music festivals and raves, not so much in Scotland, my boyfriend David and I usually go to the Netherlands. Later this month we’re going to see Hans Zimmer in Berlin and then we’re getting an eight-hour train to go to a rave in Hertogenbosch. I just appreciate music; I like all types of music.
Besides raves, I like gaming – ranges from cosy games with farming to first-person shooters… I newly picked up gardening and a liking for plants this year too!
Do you have a favourite gig or festival you’ve been to?
Probably Qlimax (pronounced climax). I wish I’d been to more of them, but I’ve only been to two. It’s a big indoor rave, it’s ‘hard style’ but its sub-genre is ‘euphoric hard style’. The raves in The Netherlands are great, people wear whatever they want, people don’t judge each other, it’s a really safe environment. They usually have food stalls, fruit stalls, they’re really big on you having your potassium so everyone is walking around eating bananas.
Do you have a favourite artist?
At the moment it’s ‘Phuture Noize’.
You’ve recently been nominated by our Group Parts Manager, Chris McKay, for a Living the Values Award – can you tell us more about the project you worked on with the parts team?
I was asked to work with the Parts team due to my previous experience with ‘Power Apps’. The development managers in the Parts team would use email at the end of each day to update on how their meetings had gone. There was no real tracking to how a meeting had gone, should we visit the customer again? Did they order parts?
The team speak to so many people it can be hard to build up the relationships and keep track of what they spoke about last time.
They wanted a process where they were able to go in and have a look at any previous notes, track the progress and place orders in one app.
Now the team are able to input their notes as they go and send over orders in the same streamlined process. They have all of the sales ledger account information pulled in too.
You were nominated for an award so the response must have been positive!
Yeah, the management team in Parts are hardly off the app! They’re really enjoying it and grateful. They’ve been so good to work with as well. It’s been a collaborative process with feedback to develop the app in two-week increments. The app will continue to evolve.
What’s your thoughts on your experience at Allied?
My manager Kim Sandler pushes me to try new things, putting me forward for projects and I’m really grateful for that, and being given the credit when it’s due. It makes me feel appreciated with the stuff I do.
What’s great about Allied is you get opportunities to try different things, do different projects, get involved in things you wouldn’t otherwise be involved in.
Do you think your mechanic background has helped your IT work at an automotive company?
That’s why I think I excelled so quickly when I moved into my first IT role, because I bring a different perspective. I can come to problems from a side most people in IT don’t get to see.
What does the future hold from here?
I’ve just completed a Modern Apprenticeship in Data Analytics, so I’ll be taking on a hybrid role going forward with Clarence Mbai in Business Intelligence which I’m excited about.
Data is used in everything so it’s a good skill to have and be able to use.
I’m a firm believer in ‘if somethings for you, it won’t go by you’.
Thanks so much Elisha – we’re sure very little will go by you judging on your incredible journey so far!
