A former British Army officer is inspiring others to follow her career path.

Sarah Luscombe, 36, served as a combat medical technician in the Royal Army Medical Corps for 18 years, rising to the rank of warrant officer.

She served in multiple countries including Ukraine, Sierra Leone, Germany, Canada, Kenya, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

After leaving the Army, Ms Luscombe joined the Warrington-based building services company, B-engineering Group, for work experience which led to a permanent role.

She is now a qualified air-conditioning engineer for the company and undertakes various tasks such as installations, servicing, maintenance, and fault-finding for clients across the north west and further afield.

Ms Luscombe said: "I’ve always been interested in engineering, and wanted to stay field-based when I began a new career after the army.

"Working at B-engineering Group has been a great learning experience, and it’s been a super-smooth transition."

She secured the placement with B-engineering Group’s air-conditioning division in May 2023 after completing her military service.

The family-owned company, which supports and employs ex-forces personnel, retrained her and offered her a permanent job.

Ms Luscombe said: "I was buzzing when Rob offered me a full-time job.

"The transition from the army and going out and trying to find a job can be a stressful time, and I realise I’ve been very fortunate."

Her army experience, she believes, has helped her tremendously in her new role.

She said: "My army experience has also helped a lot, because values and standards are drummed into you from day one, as is the need to be resilient and open to change.

"Customer relations and high standards are second nature."

Sarah served as a combat medical technician in the Royal Army Medical Corps for 18 years (Image: Supplied) She encourages others to follow her example and not be deterred by the traditionally male-oriented profession.

She said: "I’ve not had any issues at all with going into a traditionally male-oriented profession, and I would urge others who are considering a similar move to just do it.

"I’ve learned heaps since I joined the company and have gained lots of confidence.

"I love the banter too, it’s just like we had in the army."

B-engineering Group was founded in 1990 by Rob Ditchfield's father Bernard and currently employs more than 50 staff.

The company is a specialist in decarbonising commercial properties and estates and has a history of supporting the Armed Forces.

It is a signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant and recently gained a bronze award under the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.

Rob Ditchfield, managing director at B-engineering group (Image: Supplied) Managing director Rob Ditchfield said: "We’ve hired a number of ex-forces personnel who have impressed us with their strong work ethic and attitude aligned to the values of how we operate as a business, including a passion for health and safety and quality and the ability to integrate really well into a team and accept instructions.

"We were actively looking to employ more of them and, when Sarah approached us, we were delighted to give her the opportunity to join our air conditioning division on a placement.

"She was as good as we expected and we offered her a permanent role, in which she continues to excel each working day.

"Alongside our ethical policies and drive to become a more diverse workplace, we feel ex-forces personnel have a really big role to play in shaping our future workforce."

The company's air-conditioning division is reportedly one of the fastest-growing areas of the business and they are still recruiting specialist engineers.