National Apprenticeship Week 2023 – Skills for Life

07 February, 2023

Many professionally registered engineers have started their career as apprentices and many more are involved in apprenticeships as trainers or mentors. Approved or accredited engineering apprenticeships are listed on the Engineering Council’s Course Search, and these are a great way to gain the experience and knowledge for professional registration at all levels.

An apprenticeship is a paid job that includes practical training and theory. It also leads to a nationally recognised qualification. They are available to people over the age of 16, with no upper age limit, including those early in their career and career-changers. They are available at qualification levels from Level 2 (GCSE) to Level 7, equivalent to a Master’s degree.

Jamie-Leigh Clayton IEng MIET started her career by applying for an apprenticeship in railway signalling design and “enjoyed the variety of the work as well as the placements”. Jamie-Leigh was aware of the benefits of professional registration from the start: “Our apprenticeship scheme was accredited by the IET which enabled us upon successful completion to apply for Engineering Technician (EngTech) registration. We were then encouraged to start gathering evidence for Incorporated Engineer (IEng) and Chartered Engineer (CEng) registration. Knowing that professional registration provided current and future employers with confidence in our competence meant it was something that I was very interested in.”

Ryan Lord EngTech MPWI is a degree apprentice at Amey Rail. He attends university once a week and is currently working on the TransPennine Route Upgrade Project. He says: “A typical day involves asking a lot of questions. I’m working with more experienced members of the team to develop my knowledge, whether that be on-site or in the office. I prefer to work on-site as you can physically seeing what is happening. However, I recognise that it is important to have a good balance as, to properly understand on-site work, you must understand the theory and office side of it.” His apprenticeship has given him the opportunity to work in several different areas: Track, Signalling and currently in Power & Distribution.

Frida Nzaba EngTech TMIET says: “…in year 10 my engineering teacher started to talk about apprenticeships at Rolls-Royce. That was the first time I learned about Rolls-Royce and the careers they offered, so I decided to apply in the hope of kick-starting my career in engineering.” Frida is now the advanced manufacturing methods engineering lead at Rolls Royce, “managing a team of engineers on-shore and off-shore to develop, implement and improve methods that can be used to assemble and disassemble engines.”