Maria is a second year Mechanical Engineering Technician Apprentice. She is undertaking Imperial’s Technician Apprenticeship Scheme, a four-year programme aligned to the level 3 Engineering Technician apprenticeship.
Why did you decide to do an apprenticeship?
An apprenticeship was always something I wanted to pursue rather than traditional routes, as it combines education with on-the-job training, which I personally find better than only learning theory in a classroom. An apprenticeship gives me the chance to apply learning in the workplace and to develop techniques and skills that I would otherwise have missed.
What does a typical day look like?
A typical day as a Mechanical Engineering Technician Apprentice involves being assigned projects to practice my machining skills, which can be on a lathe or milling machine. I also work with a variety of other machinery like surface grinders, EDM (electrical discharge machines), welding machines to name a few and use a variety of tooling. On occasion, I am given a real job which has been requested by a student or research lab. Sometimes, these opportunities involve designing and problem solving rather than following an engineering drawing, which can be challenging but expands my knowledge and can be highly rewarding. There is also time for studying and catching up on college work during the day and modelling up designs on SolidWorks Computer Aided Design (CAD) software.
What new skills have you gained?
The technical skills I have learnt as an apprentice are the use of measuring equipment to accurately measure workpieces. Learning Computer Aided Design software like SolidWorks has been challenging but a useful skill for designing workpieces and projects. The soft skills I have gained in the workplace have been teamwork and problem solving. Teamwork is so important in the workshop, especially as an apprentice. Everyone is willing to help, and problem solve with you which has been great especially with new problems that I haven’t encountered before. Problem solving has been the key skill I have learnt, especially when things go wrong, and I need to come up with a solution.
What has been the most rewarding part of the apprenticeship so far?
I think the most rewarding part has been learning and developing my skills within the workshop with the help of co-workers with an immense amount of knowledge behind them. Every day I learn something new and always improve from my last project. Seeing how your machining progresses through the apprenticeship makes you reflect on how much you have learnt even in a short amount of time and what knowledge you can carry forward beyond the apprenticeship.
What advice would you give to somebody considering this route?
I would tell anyone considering this route to have an open mind about the role. If you are passionate about learning, want to learn how to machine on mills and lathes and design and create workpieces, then this apprenticeship would be ideal for you. When applying for the apprenticeship, I knew that being a woman in this field could be intimidating, especially to “fit in”, however my advice for other women applying is not to be afraid to be different and to be passionate in what you are doing. It’s a plus if you’re willing to get messy and like getting hands on! Imperial has been supportive and I have felt welcomed, even when I am the only woman in the workshop.