Emma, 25, has been working at the Pharmaserve's Runcorn plant since she left University four years ago and was up for the challenge when we asked her to don a superhero cape for a photo shoot. She said: "It was a bit of an odd experience but it was fun. It's not every day you are asked to wear a red cape and stand in front of a wind machine!"
Emma joined Pharmaserve straight from Manchester University where she completed a degree in biochemistry. She worked for a year in the QA department before moving to the QC department and is now a production section head. She said: "We do contract manufacturing for a range of pharmaceutical clients, making everything from asthma inhalers to nasal sprays for hay fever.
"I incorporate quality systems into my day to day activities to ensure products are fit for purpose for the end user and I also represent Operations in management and project meetings.
"We have around 20 permanent staff in the operations department and temporary staff can take that number up to 40 at times."
She added: "I was approached by my current manager to be a 'guinea pig' on The Manufacturing Institute's Diploma in Manufacturing course to see what it would be like and would I be interested. I've had no proper management experience before this and I've really enjoyed the Diploma so far. The process improvement skills are important and very useful, and I've found the people management and leadership sessions very, very useful.
"It makes you think more about what you are doing. Everyone has got an individual management style and it's been interesting to find out about that."
At the end of the teaching modules the Diploma delegates have six months to prepare a written assignment on a real improvement project using the knowledge gained during the course.
It's a challenge Emma is looking forward to. "I want to do something worthwhile that will make a difference," she said. "I hope to use some of the skills I have learned on the Diploma to make the production lines run better. I want to apply all these skills and just keep going."
