To mark National Apprenticeship Week, under the spotlight is Adam EngTech MInstMC, Control & Instrumentation Facility Engineer and former apprentice, who shares his thoughts on the past, present and future of engineering.
(reproduced from Precision – the quarterly magazine of the Institute of Measurement & Control)
What was the root of your interest in Engineering?
My interest in engineering formed at a young age and continued throughout school and college. I always excelled academically at maths and the sciences so it was natural that I would be drawn to a future in engineering. My Dad has been a mechanical engineer for 30+ years; he has always been a role model and inspired me towards a career in engineering.
During my final year at A-levels, I had a decision to make regarding my future. The choice was between either going to university to study engineering or follow the apprenticeship route and undertake a more practical approach to my learning. Ultimately, I opted to take the apprenticeship route and started my career at AWE as a Control & Instrumentation apprentice.
Upon completion of my apprenticeship, I moved into a maintenance role where I gained engineering and supervisory experience. I loved working within maintenance, and I met many brilliant people and had some great experiences. I have now moved into the world of facility engineering, where my role includes looking after the day-to-day running of a facility, providing engineering solutions, and function as a source of technical knowledge for current and future projects.
What should be done to address the shortage of UK engineers?
The future of engineering relies on our education system, and this is the perfect time to show people how exciting engineering can be. I think a positive method is to encourage students to consider engineering apprenticeships.
I have first-hand experience of how the education system tries to push people down the university route, despite the apprenticeship route being just as viable and giving a real head start in life by providing key communication skills and real-life experience.
I believe the government and education system should also raise awareness of the many different branches of engineering. It was not until I began working within engineering that I realised just how many different types of engineers there are and how many different roles they fulfil. Raising this awareness could be the difference between attracting talent and losing them.