National Careers Week: MCA promotes Maritime Careers
It is National Careers Week and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has teamed up with Maritime UK to showcase just a few of the career routes you can sail in the maritime industry.
Across the week, we will highlight some of the various professions within the maritime regulator, with Maritime UK shining the spotlight on Professional Services on Day One. We chose Kate Lockett as our professional services' ambassador, as without people, there is no maritime industry.
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| HR Business Partner Kate Lockett |
Name?
Kate Lockett
What is your current role?
HR Business Partner
What is this?
Every department has access to its own ‘business partner’ to advise them on HR-related queries. I determine and steer the objectives of the HR department of the MCA, focusing more on developing strategy rather than implementing policy. HR business partners are HR professionals who help align an organisation’s ‘people strategy’ with their ‘business strategy.’
Why the MCA and what do you enjoy most about working here?
Well, you don’t stay 16 years in an organisation without loving it! I love most things especially the people I work with. The purpose of the MCA is also really important to me, I have always lived near the sea and keeping people safe while they enjoy all it has to offer is vital. There is always more to do, and I feel such pride in playing a small part in contributing to that.
Well, you don’t stay 16 years in an organisation without loving it! I love most things especially the people I work with. The purpose of the MCA is also really important to me, I have always lived near the sea and keeping people safe while they enjoy all it has to offer is vital. There is always more to do, and I feel such pride in playing a small part in contributing to that.
What inspires you in your role?
I absolutely love people; I am hugely curious (some might say nosey) and I find team dynamics particularly fascinating. Making a difference to how effectively a team runs or supporting a leader to get the best from their team is hugely inspiring to me.
I absolutely love people; I am hugely curious (some might say nosey) and I find team dynamics particularly fascinating. Making a difference to how effectively a team runs or supporting a leader to get the best from their team is hugely inspiring to me.
What challenges you in your role and how do you overcome these?
Every day is different, and while I enjoy the variety, sometimes juggling conflicting priorities can be challenging. I am a big one for communicating and I find that if I am honest about any delays or difficulties, I can overcome this challenge. Resilience is something that you need to work at and recognising how important it is to me to be around people and have some fun while working can take the edge off any challenging situation. My personal core values are joy and collaboration so if I am living by those, I can overcome anything.
What support have you received throughout your career to help you develop and progress?
I have received so much support that it would be difficult to articulate it all here and I will try! I have had some fantastic mentors from different parts of the organisation who have provided me with amazing advice and guidance. I am a big believer that no one cares about your career more than you and I have taken every opportunity I can find to develop myself. Once you start saying yes to things, even if they seem daunting at the time, it opens to doors to other opportunities to gain experience, skills, and knowledge. I have taken full advantage of the five learning days that every MCA employee is entitled to and use it to attend events and keep my professional development up to date. MCA is truly an organisation that supports staff to develop, all you need to do is be proactive and open to pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.
What do you see the future holding for your career here at the MCA?
I am very happy in the role I currently have and have no plans to move any time soon. I want to develop my coaching practice more so I can gain a coaching supervision qualification and support the fantastic group of internal coaches we have in the MCA.
Tell us about your best day/week at the MCA and what made it so great..
This is tough as I genuinely have so many to choose from, 16 years is a long time!
My proudest moment was when I ran a DiSC workshop for over 150 MCA staff. I am not a shy person but having to get up in front of so many people and deliver something to the then new CEO and my peers was hugely exciting and nerve wracking. I was on an adrenaline high for hours afterwards and the feedback I got from the session was such a confidence lift. That’s my overriding experience of working in the MCA, whatever you choose to do, people will support you and be your biggest cheerleader, that is why I have been here for so long because I think we have something unique.
Walk us through your career journey at the MCA?
I joined the MCA in 2007 as a Leadership and Management Trainer based in the MCA Training Centre in Highcliffe, Dorset. It was a big departure from the busy retail environment I had worked in previously as an HR Manager for a supermarket. I massively enjoyed the variety of my work and the people I met in this trainer role.
After my first period of maternity leave, I moved to work in a project role focusing on areas such as setting up the MCA People Survey and working with the business to showcase the great work we do to achieve the Investors in People Silver award.
Following a second period of maternity leave, I returned to work as a Learning and Development Consultant, primarily focused on the future coastguard transformation programme. In 2016, I was successfully promoted to the Learning and Capability Lead, managing a small team to provide the leadership and management provision to the MCA.
I was then seconded to the Survey and Inspection Transformation Programme to lead the development part of the project; this involved running over 30 development events, numerous coaching sessions and travelling all around the UK. It was hugely rewarding and a great insight into a part of the MCA I had not worked with much prior to this.
I returned to the team in 2019 as the Talent Development Lead, I qualified as a Coach and Mentor and then the pandemic hit. This was an interesting time for learning and development, bringing training online was hugely challenging and we managed to successfully deliver two major development programmes for HMCG. I certainly discovered some resilience when delivering training while home-schooling my two daughters!
In 2021, the opportunity came up to apply for the HR Business Partner role and the rest is history.
I joined the MCA in 2007 as a Leadership and Management Trainer based in the MCA Training Centre in Highcliffe, Dorset. It was a big departure from the busy retail environment I had worked in previously as an HR Manager for a supermarket. I massively enjoyed the variety of my work and the people I met in this trainer role.
After my first period of maternity leave, I moved to work in a project role focusing on areas such as setting up the MCA People Survey and working with the business to showcase the great work we do to achieve the Investors in People Silver award.
Following a second period of maternity leave, I returned to work as a Learning and Development Consultant, primarily focused on the future coastguard transformation programme. In 2016, I was successfully promoted to the Learning and Capability Lead, managing a small team to provide the leadership and management provision to the MCA.
I was then seconded to the Survey and Inspection Transformation Programme to lead the development part of the project; this involved running over 30 development events, numerous coaching sessions and travelling all around the UK. It was hugely rewarding and a great insight into a part of the MCA I had not worked with much prior to this.
I returned to the team in 2019 as the Talent Development Lead, I qualified as a Coach and Mentor and then the pandemic hit. This was an interesting time for learning and development, bringing training online was hugely challenging and we managed to successfully deliver two major development programmes for HMCG. I certainly discovered some resilience when delivering training while home-schooling my two daughters!
In 2021, the opportunity came up to apply for the HR Business Partner role and the rest is history.
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