Forging a career in parking

In 2007 I was offered a job as a Parking Attendant working on the streets of my hometown (now City) of Southend-on-Sea. I was excited to start my six months stop gap job before pursuing my dream of joining the RAF or the Police.  I remember rushing to tell my mum, “I got the job! I’m going to be a parking attendant!” It’s important to note that I didn’t drive at the time and my perception was that of a fresh-faced teenager oblivious to the world of parking enforcement, and then I saw my mum’s reaction. “You are going to be a traffic warden? Right, that’s it, I’m disowning you,” she said jokingly (at least I hoped so). It was then I realised that it wasn’t a popular job choice.

My time as a Civil Enforcement Officer (CEO) set the foundations for my career.  Seeing the importance of parking management gave my role meaning. My desire to make a difference to my local community and the people I met daily contributed to my job satisfaction and drove me to look past the great British weather and the occasional heckle.

Fast forward 15 years and the intended stop gap role has become a diverse, rewarding, and exciting career.

I didn’t leave college aspiring to be a parking attendant or Civil Enforcement Officer. I just fell into a career in parking, and I’m not alone. I’ve heard many people say exactly the same thing. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to anyone who left school intentionally seeking to start a career in this sector.

In 2022 the British Parking Association’s Women in Parking community conducted a poll via LinkedIn to understand how members found themselves working in the parking industry, and it turns out a whopping 93% also say they fell into the sector.

This posed the question, why is the percentage so high? During last year’s British Parking Association annual conference, we gathered an expert panel to explore just that. They delved into how we can challenge the perception of the sector and attract talented individuals.  One of the main points that the panel highlighted was the lack of clear career pathways guiding frontline workers to a variety of career opportunities.

I was joined in the expert panel by Kathleen Federici, Director of Professional Development for the International Parking and Mobility Institute (IPMI), John McArdle, Ex-BPA President and parking consultant, and Emma Moses, Training Manager at Conduent Parking Solutions, where we discussed the need for continuous professional development within the parking sector and the misconception that parking occupations are short term jobs for an unskilled labour market. We also discussed the general lack of awareness regarding the various career paths available to individuals within the sector.

My journey from Civil Enforcement Officer to President of the BPA is one I am extremely proud of, but I know, from my own experience that my career path was like a game of snakes and ladders. I didn’t follow the typical linear path, from frontline to contract manager. Instead, my career saw me leap frogging between the on-street and off-street parking sectors. Although this allowed me to pick up transferable skills that served to strengthen my perspective and see challenges in a different light, it also highlighted the need for varied lines of linear progression within our sector.

CEOs can bring a wealth of transferable skills and insights into roles such ask parking technicians, parking appeals administrators, technology developers and marketing and communications positions.

Given that the average parking sector employee remains in the industry for over ten years (see table below), the development of Civil Enforcement Officers is something that local authorities and parking operators are finally beginning to see the value of.  Development strategies that tap into the individual strengths of the CEO workforce help attract talented and ambitious individuals to our sector, that go on to make valuable contributions to the industry.

By offering linear pathways of progression into various roles and sectors, individuals who may not typically consider work as a CEO, such as students, may find the job much more appealing.

Providing varied learning and development programmes can not only help take advantage of the wealth of potential in our industry’s frontline workers but also help employers address future skills gaps and attract more people into parking roles, creating a win-win situation for both employers and employees alike.

About the author 

Jade is passionate about promoting the use of technology to support local authority parking operations and improve air quality. Alongside her passion for technology, Jade is an advocate for equality, diversity and inclusion, as well as safety and professional development.