Why did you decide to do a degree apprenticeship?
I decided to apply for an apprenticeship as I wanted to expand my skill set through both university and work-based engineering.

Briefly describe your role and the types of projects/work you have been involved in
As a Degree Apprentice

I complete both work and university studies at the same time. Every 4-5 weeks I go to university for a week to work towards an Applied Engineering Degree. Within work I am part of the research and development team and have helped design many components for future models including DBX.

What have you enjoyed the most about your studies?
There’s a lot more independence when you take an apprenticeship as you are expected to be able to organise your work load and distribute your time effectively. I enjoy the freedom and responsibility the apprenticeship gives me. In my case I have also moved away from home and made many new friends on the course and at work.

What is the most useful thing you have learnt?
I have learnt that positivity is the key to success. There’s been a few times during the course so far where the university work has been difficult, and I’ve wanted to give up. In these times, I’ve found that staying positive and looking at all I’ve already achieved is really important.

What skills are you applying to your role?
I have already gained a lot of knowledge for the university course, the most useful being material properties and production processes. This knowledge has been applied within work when developing new parts for production. There are certain features that cannot be produced using certain processes, so its important to understand the limitations of current technology.

What are your ambitions for the future?
In the future I hope to advance into higher roles within the company. I would love to become a senior engineer or manager to show that women can succeed in prominent roles in engineering. From there, I hope to encourage the younger generation to take a different path and not give in to stereotypes.

What’s the best piece of advice you could give someone thinking about doing a degree apprenticeship?
If you’re more practical minded, a degree apprenticeship is ideal. It’s a lot of work to keep up with a full-time job and university studies, but it’s definitely worth it. You get work place experience which enhances your CV and makes you stand out from others that have just been to university alone.

"The AEP is ideal for those looking to follow a different path to full-time university. It provides relevant information that can be applied to real-life situations and allows you to connect with apprentices from other engineering companies."

Find out more about our Applied Engineering Programme or Degree Apprenticeships we offer.