Angel Maynard, from Manchester, shares her Career Ready story – from student, to mentor.

Angel’s Career Ready story began back in 2018, when she first joined the programme.

“I’d love to go back and speak to Angel in 2018 and 19, and say, wow, girl, look how far you’ve come,” she says. “I’m so proud of the girl who started it, and the girl who I am now. Because I feel like now I’ve definitely acheived a lot of the things that I wanted to.”

Angel was named Student of the Year, and went on to an apprentice at Leidos. Now, she’s working at PA Consulting, and in 2025 became a Career Ready mentor to Raiha.

She shares her journey in the video:

Video transcript:

I would love to go back and speak to Angel in 2018 and 19, and say, wow, girl, look how far you’ve come.

So I was in college at the time. When I joined the Career Ready programme, I’d just lost my mum. So I think as well that was when I was like, I really can’t be bothered. It was in that moment where I thought d’you know what, I think this is the time where I actually say yes to some opportunities. And I’m really glad I did, because if it wasn’t for Career Ready, I don’t know who I would be today.

My relationship with Danielle was amazing. We hit it off right from the start. She could tell that I was very ambitious. She was a construction site manager. If I remember rightly, she was the only woman on site before I came, and that was just so boss. It was definitely that relationship with Danielle that made me realise that I can be in those, I suppose, managerial positions.

I did an internship with Arup, and it was really nice to see that all of these busy, important people still make time for the likes of an intern. And I think that internship was, I suppose, where I realised, maybe consultancy is for me. Even though I never went into it at the time.

After the internship, it was Leidos for six years. I did so many things on there, like my CV is so crammed. I worked my way up from a business modern apprentice to a service architect. And then yea, now I’m at PA Consulting, and having come into consultancy now, having been at Arup, I’m really glad I had that chance back then, even though it was for four weeks, just seeing all of the different things that happened.

So now I’m a Career Ready mentor. Career Ready had such a massive impact for me – to know I’m able to see that for someone else. Just seeing how Raiha had transformed, become this confident, bubbly, go get it girl. I was like, yes, this is what we want.

Career Ready changed my life – and I know it’s not just Career Ready, I had to be in it to win it. I’m so proud of the girl who started it, and the girl who I am now. Because I feel like now I’ve definitely acheived a lot of the things that I wanted to.