Andrew

You can watch an interview on Channel 5 news with Andrew here. In the interview he talks about why he turned down a university place in favour of a degree level apprenticeship.

Why did you want to come to UTCN?

I wanted to come to a Sixth Form with an engineering focus because, ever since primary school, I knew that the engineering field offered stable work and engineers of all specialities are always needed. I came to UTCN at 16 due to its unmatched facilities to develop hands-on practical skills. I therefore chose to travel 2 hours a day from Lowestoft to make the most of my time in post-16 education. 

How is your apprenticeship at Warren Services going so far?

It’s been really good getting experience in the workplace and gaining soft skills around the working environment. For example, learning about the expectations and standards that are set in a workplace, as well as the policies and procedures that need to be followed daily to ensure best practice around the site. I love the independence that I have now, having my own place and car and living close to work. 

How did UTCN help with the skills you need to work for Warren Services? 

The manual milling equipment gave me a good insight into how different materials cut and feel. Not all schools have these facilities and I appreciated being able to experiment with these during my practical sessions. UTCN gave me the building blocks to go on and understand that when entering a workplace, you will be expected to understand the very basic engineering skills without onsite training (e.g. the tolerance of different projects), and I was able to learn these at UTCN.

Any tips for students currently studying at UTCN? 

Take advantage of the Find Your Future sessions. Even if you don’t like that particular area or topic, it doesn’t mean that you won’t find your future with another employer via the sessions since all companies network with each other – and always get your work done on time!