In the Spotlight - Nicole Lawson

‘In the Spotlight’ this month is Nicole Lawson, a trainee electrician in the Estates team at University Hospital Llandough.

Nicole joined Cardiff and Vale University Health Board as a housekeeper in 2023 and after 18 months, she was promoted to a team leader in the Rapid Response housekeeping team. Her move into the electrical profession came unexpectedly.

One day, while cleaning the Estates building, Nicole got into conversation with a manager and mentioned her interest in carpentry – something she had dabbled in while doing a Master’s degree in Fine Arts. The manager invited her to do a shadow shift with a carpenter, but on the day no carpenters were available, so she shadowed the electricians instead.

“I ended up loving it,” Nicole recalls. “It really engaged my brain.” Nicole began shadowing the electricians regularly on her days off. “I can't stress enough how good this team has been in allowing me to do that,” she said. After six months, she applied for the job and was successful.

Nicole joined the Estates team in August 2024 as a Multidisciplinary Operative, working towards becoming a fully qualified electrician in three to four years.

“What they've given me here is the opportunity to train and qualify within the health board, which is amazing. I love the fact that we get to help. A nurse might call for an urgent repair, and that fix could be lifeline. You get that sense of, ‘Yeah, I've done something meaningful’. I felt that way when I was cleaning too, but here I’m learning and progressing every day.”

Training on a hospital site offers a broad range of experience, from maintaining theatre equipment to fixing light sockets, to generator testing, and ensuring fire alarm systems are in full working order. “There’s a lot that goes into it, whether its electrical engineering or installation work,” said Nicole. “It feels really good to be part of that team where you are making a difference. I mean, the electrics are very important to a hospital.”

Nicole also values the high standards of the people she works alongside. “The team take pride in everything they do. I’m learning how to carry myself as a professional and there is a lot of emphasis on clearly communicating with the ward manager, so they know everything that's going on.”

She is conscious of being the first female operative on the team. “You don't see many women in this trade,” she said. “I wanted to advocate for women and challenge myself by working in an environment dominated by men - to see whether I could hack it. As well as the flood of information, the work is manual as well. You've got to try and keep up with everyone else. I want it to be equal across the board.”

She is quick to credit her colleagues for their support. “When you get the right people behind you, they give you that confidence to say you can do it. The team have been supportive throughout the whole journey.”

The training does come with its challenges. “It can get frustrating at times,” Nicole said. “Obviously, I'm not fully qualified so not everything makes complete sense to me. But when you do manage to fix something. when you figure it out and you get it back up and running, it’s an adrenaline rush. I love the work. I love that we are helping people. It really is part of saving lives.”

People are at the centre of everything we do. Those who work at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board make a difference to people’s lives every single day.

Each month, the In The Spotlight campaign shines a light on the different people who make up Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, from those who support behind the scenes, to those who have passions that led them to work in their role.

As an organisation with over 17,000 colleagues, the campaign will highlight the variety of roles, teams and individuals across the health board. Working in the NHS can be life-changing, both for colleagues and for the patients they help.

https://cavuhb.nhs.wales/news/latest-news/in-the-spotlight-nicole-lawson/