Ben

Why did you come to UTCN?

I joined UTCN in year 10 after discovering it through the Norwich Science Festival. The great facilities were what first attracted me to UTCN but high quality teaching and employability focus was what made UTCN great. I know I wanted to go into some kind of engineering role before I joined, but UTCN opened my eyes to the large variety of engineering roles that are available. 

After my GCSEs, I did another two years in UTCN Sixth Form doing a more in depth engineering course. The teachers for this course were brilliant, not only teaching the course well but also providing great career and professional development advice.

What did you like about UTCN?

I liked the supportive learning environment. The teachers took genuine interest in their students and helped them become great individuals. I also really enjoyed the great workshop facilities and the fact that the School is in a newish building giving it a cleaner and more modern feel. On top of this, in year 12, UTCN's careers team regularly brought in great employers which would host projects for us to develop employability skills, which I found really beneficial.

Why did you apply for your apprenticeship?

I applied for my apprenticeship after doing 2 weeks of work experience with the company in year 12 which I thoroughly enjoyed. I wanted to do an apprenticeship due to the large amount of on the job training an apprenticeship offers. It enables you to get properly involved with the technical side of the job along with it enabling you to work in a typical working environment rather than a purely academic one.

What do you do in your apprenticeship?

My role as an apprentice varies considerably which I enjoy because it keeps the job exciting as we always have new unusual projects coming through the door. The role varies from bespoke heavy machine installations to carrying out maintenance and repairs on large scale rotating equipment. The role also includes working on many smaller specialist projects. Along with this I also spend one day a week studying at college to gain more in depth theoretical skills which I can then implement into my work.

What advice would you give to a current UTCN student?

Be open to taking the opportunities that UTCN offers via its many employer and extracurricular events. You may not always feel comfortable to take the opportunities offered but embrace pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone as this is where you will learn and develop.

Also try to be as observant and interested as possible. Pay attention to the interesting people and opportunities that come by , and don't be afraid to learn more by asking questions.