Talented Engineering Student Lands Dream Job at CERN, Switzerland

Abigail Lee, a former Level 3 Engineering student at Cronton Sixth Form is thrilled after landing a dream job at CERN in Switzerland, one of the world’s largest and most respected centres for scientific research.

Abigail dreamed of working at CERN after a Cronton College trip in 2017 where she was able to tour the facility, meet scientists and see the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest energy particle collider and largest machine in the world.

“I really enjoyed the trip and dreamed of working there one day. I decided to apply for job positions at CERN and when I wasn’t successful at first I started to think working at a place like that wouldn’t happen for me.”

The former Penketh High School pupil was then unexpectedly contacted on LinkedIn by the CERN team who were impressed with her application and thought she would be perfect for their ‘Technician Training Experience (TTE)’ programme which provides fully paid invaluable work experience at the world famous facility and opens up a host of career opportunities.

Abigail said, “I didn’t think the message was real at first but after speaking with them I realised this was an opportunity I just couldn’t miss. After careful thought, I decided to accept the position and will begin in May. CERN have been very helpful with finding accommodation in Switzerland and I am really looking forward to starting.”

Abigail’s talents in Engineering were clear, she finished her course with Triple Distinction Star grades and was even awarded Engineering Student of the Year at Cronton for her outstanding effort.

 She said, “The support I received at Cronton was outstanding. I initially studied A Levels at another college but after my first year I decided A Levels were not the right path for me. I was impressed with Cronton’s IDEA Centre facilities and decided to enrol on their Level 3 Engineering course which was definitely the right choice.

“I think for anyone looking to start a career, setting up a LinkedIn profile is really important because of the connections you can make all over the world. I am really excited to start working at CERN, it has felt very surreal and a little bit scary but I know this is a life changing opportunity that I couldn’t turn down!”

Sonia Tandon, Abigail’s Engineering Tutor at Cronton said, “Abigail was always a focussed and contentious learner who had creative ideas and demonstrated industry standard capabilities in everything she did at College. She would not only excel in her work, but also helped and supported her peers. The whole team at the IDEA Centre are extremely proud of her achievements and wish her the very best at CERN and in all her future endeavours.”