Engineering
“And we have several specialist programmes too, like our non-destructive testing engineering degree apprenticeship, where you learn how to break things in order to make them better and improve the quality of an item,” she continues. The company takes on around 240 degree
Elsewhere in the engineering sector, Rolls-Royce designs, builds, and maintains power systems for a variety of applications, including aerospace, defence, power and nuclear. Not to be confused with the car manufacturer of the same name, Rolls-Royce is a major employer of apprentices. It offers an
apprentices each year, to work in aerospace and Rolls-Royce’s fast- growing nuclear business. “Derby and Bristol are our two biggest sites,” says Holmes. “But we also recruit degree apprentices for Inchinnan in Scotland and a number of smaller locations in the
We hold events for parents who may not realise what degree apprenticeships are
extensive range of engineering degree apprenticeships, as well as commercial, finance, business management, supply chain and digital & technology programmes. “Within the company, we have degree apprenticeships in
north-east of England, Yorkshire and the Midlands.” Engineering degree apprenticeships at Rolls-Royce typically last around four years. “Our apprentices start with an initial six-month placement, to give
most areas of engineering, including electrical & electronics, manufacturing, materials and quality,” explains Tracey Holmes, Early Careers Recruitment Team Leader at Rolls-Royce.
because I was already interested in motor manufacturers – my Dad was into his cars and had a kit car when I was younger – but also because they offered a great salary and the degree part of the apprenticeship was with the University of Warwick. The combination of a renowned company, a well-known university and a top degree was an unbeatable one. I made my applications midway through my upper sixth year. I went through the selection process for JLR quite quickly and they offered me a place on their applied professional engineering apprenticeship. It was quite a big move for me, going from Kent to Warwick, but I found some student accommodation nearby and began my apprenticeship in September 2021. From the start, we had block weeks of lectures on-campus at the university and then every Friday was our off-the-job time to do coursework and further studying. Although my degree is in manufacturing, I’m actually working as a quality engineer,
ahead of the game in pushing STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) careers for women, with employer fairs and information about all the different options we had ahead of us. During sixth form, I did a week’s work experience with one of the big engineering companies and it was that which made me think apprenticeships might be a good option for me. I liked the working environment, which I hadn’t expected, and I enjoyed the hands- on aspects of engineering. My school were very supportive when I started looking into degree apprenticeships, but it wasn’t something they knew much about – it was much more normal to go on to university after sixth form. I didn’t want to miss out on getting a degree and it took me a while to figure out that I should be aiming
Degree Apprentice
Rhian Duncan Manufacturing Engineering Degree Apprentice JLR
“
for level 6 programmes. I used the Government
It was my maths teacher at secondary school who suggested that I should look into engineering. I was doing maths, physics and business for A-level and I was really enjoying the mechanics questions and problem solving. I was at a girls’ grammar school in Kent and they were quite
apprenticeship website to try and find out what was available and did a lot of aimless Googling, but eventually I put together a list of companies that offered an engineering degree apprenticeship. JLR was my first choice, partly
52 Degree Apprenticeships
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online