Professionalism, Opportunity and a Career in Powered Access

The powered access industry has changed considerably over the years, and one of the most positive developments has been the increasing number of people from different backgrounds building successful careers within it. While powered access has traditionally been viewed as a male-dominated industry, organisations such as IPAF have worked hard to showcase the opportunities available and encourage more people to consider a career within the sector.

As part of our ongoing interview series, we recently sat down with Paul Roddis, Training Manager at IPAF, alongside our own Training Manager, Adele Coupe, to discuss IPAF's Women in Powered Access initiative and the positive changes taking place across the industry.

More Than Twenty-Five Years in the Industry

Our Training Manager, Adele Coupe, was invited by IPAF to share her own career journey as part of the Women in Powered Access initiative, bringing with her more than 25 years of experience within the industry and extensive involvement with IPAF, including eight years serving on the IPAF Training Committee.

Reflecting on her experience during the interview, Adele explained that the focus of her contribution was not simply about being a woman in the industry, but about promoting professionalism, high standards and customer service.

"It was about promoting professionalism within training, an advocate really for high standards and customer service, which was really important, still is really important to me, and share best practice really across what we do in our day-to-day life."

Those values remain central to everything we do at Certora today, from supporting customers with training requirements through to maintaining the quality and compliance standards that sit behind every course we deliver.

Creating Opportunities

A key part of the Women in Powered Access initiative is giving people the opportunity to share their experiences and help others understand the variety of roles available throughout the industry.

As Adele highlighted during the discussion, more women are now entering the powered access sector than ever before, building careers in operational, management and safety-focused roles. For an industry built around competence, safety and professionalism, attracting talented people from different backgrounds can only strengthen the sector and help raise standards further.

Success Comes From Ability, Not Assumptions

One of the most interesting stories shared during the discussion came from Paul, who spoke about his daughter Jenny's route into the industry. After experiencing poor treatment while working in a different sector, Jenny was introduced to opportunities within powered access, received training, and eventually became an IPAF instructor herself.

Today, she delivers IPAF training professionally and successfully across the industry, something Paul is understandably proud of. "She's actually going around as an instructor doing that job brilliantly. The fact that she's female is just a bonus."

Opportunities should be available to everyone, but success ultimately comes from knowledge, professionalism, competence and a commitment to doing the job well.

What This Means for Certora

Adele's story is a good example of what can be achieved through experience, professionalism and a commitment to high standards. Having spent more than 25 years in the industry and eight years on the IPAF Training Committee, she continues to play an active role in supporting customers, instructors and learners across the business.

Stories like Adele's and Jenny's demonstrate the variety of opportunities available within powered access, and why attracting talented people into the industry remains so important.

Watch the Full Interview

Our exclusive interview with Paul Roddis explores the Women in Powered Access initiative in more detail, alongside Adele Coupe's own experiences within the industry and the importance of creating opportunities for future generations.

Watch the full interview below to hear the discussion from both Paul Roddis and Adele Coupe in their own words.