MY CAREER JOURNEY: CHARMAIN BROWNING, FROM APPRENTICE TO HR TEAM LEADER

"I left school after completing my GCSEs and started my career through an apprenticeship with Southampton City Council in their Corporate Services HR function. During this time, I researched and confirmed that HR was the right career path for me—I knew I wanted to gain real-world experience while working toward my professional qualifications.

I initially took an apprenticeship in Business Administration, and after nine months, I secured a permanent role as an HR Assistant. Over the next four years, I gained solid HR experience and completed the first part of my CIPD qualification. The apprenticeship provided me with an invaluable opportunity to undertake on-the-job learning, learn from others, and gain exposure to the entire HR lifecycle, from recruitment and employee relations to learning & development and reward.

I then progressed into an HR Officer role, where I supervised a small team and began to develop my leadership skills. By my early-to-mid 20s, I moved into my first management position, leading the Talent Acquisition Team —introducing a revised approach that aligned with changes in technology and recruitment approaches.

My next move was into the service provider sector, where I took on a role in business transformation and HR business partnering, broadening my commercial HR expertise. Twelve years ago, I stepped into my first HR Director role within a tech/engineering company, before joining DP World in March 2019 as the lead HR role in Southampton. Shortly after, I transitioned into the UK Ports & Terminals HR Lead role and I now serve as People Director – South UK covering all parts of the business.

One of the things I’m most grateful for is the opportunity my apprenticeship gave me—not just to develop technical HR knowledge, but also to learn from experienced professionals, gain broad exposure, and complete my professional qualifications alongside full-time work, as well as achieving my professional qualification.

I am passionate about seeing people grow and develop in their careers, just as I have been fortunate to do. I’m incredibly grateful for the mentors, colleagues, and experiences that have shaped my journey, and I remain committed to paying that forward—helping others build their own successful careers through development and opportunity."

Change what's possible, find out more about apprenticeships at DP World.