Beth

When Beth completes her apprenticeship, she will obtain a BEng in Nuclear Engineering and will have no student debt as her salary and tuition fees are paid for.

Why did you come to UTCN?

I came to UTCN in year 10 as I had always been a more “hands on” person and was interested in how the mechanics of things we see and use every day work. I was also really interested in rebuilding motorbikes and thought the facilities at UTCN would suit my interests.

What did you like about UTCN?

I liked that it’s a smaller school and I could work really closely with teachers. It meant I developed a good relationship with teachers and I felt like they were really supportive of me. For example, I was commuting 2 hours each way to get to school every day and at some point, in year 10, it started to get a bit much. I considered leaving the School but the headteacher sat down with me and we developed a plan to make the commute easier.

I also felt that UTCN really set me up for the future. I felt prepared for my apprenticeship due to the soft skills I learnt during Find your Future sessions and whilst engaging with employers who came to the School.

Why did you apply for a degree level apprenticeship at EDF?

In year 11 I was told about it by other students at a careers presentation. This motivated me to look into it in more detail and by doing this I found out about the long list of benefits the degree level apprenticeship with EDF offers compared to other companies: I am paid a salary which allows me to keep a car and a horse, my accommodation is paid for, and I get £80 a week for canteen food on site. I also not getting into student debt as I don’t pay tuition fees.

The apprenticeship also interested me as I am working in the nuclear energy sector during my degree but will obtain a BEng (Level 6) in Mechanical Engineering once I have completed it. This means that I will be able to work in fields other than nuclear energy, such as renewables. This will give me a lot of flexibility in the future.

Seeing other females, such as Joanna, in engineering roles really motivated me too.  I feel honoured that other girls can see me in the same way now.

What do you do in your apprenticeship?

There isn’t really a typical week. It depends on the time of year. Last week I was in the workshop dismantling and wiring compressors. This is part of working towards my level 2 maintenance qualification which is a compulsory element of my apprenticeship. 20% of my time is also spent on “off the job” training. At the moment we are doing maths. From May I will be on placement working on commissioning, controls and implementation.

What advice would you give current UTCN students?

Take every opportunity you are given! Talk to all the employers who come to UTCN even if you think you are not interested in the company they work for. You never know what you will find out from them or who they might be able to put you in contact with.

Also, you don’t need to be the top of the class in terms of grades to get an excellent degree level apprenticeship. Employers are looking at you as a whole person which includes the soft skills you can offer them: the way you think, how you solve problems etc. Being at UTCN really allowed me to develop and demonstrate these skills in the selection process with EDF.