Rolls Royce Engineering Degree Apprentices on their journey so far video transcript

What inspired me to join the apprenticeship  programme was that I didn't want to go to university.

So I wanted to actually go to work. I spent a year after I did my  A-levels as like a gap year just working and I decided to do a degree through an apprenticeship was what I wanted to do for me.

I was initially a bit unsure about going straight to university, and so I took a gap year out myself just to give it a think over and so I got to the end of that gap year and I was thinking I don't really want to go to uni, so I looked at sort of the degree apprenticeship options and Rolls-Royce is obviously a fantastic company in the local area.

You know, the reputation it's got that is what mostly attracted me.

So when that acceptance offer came through, I just accepted immediately.

So my journey I've well, I've had a really good time on my apprenticeship so far.

So I'm in my last year; my fourth year - and I've spent time in five different areas of Rolls-Royce, all focusing on electrical engineering.

So, I've got to go on a few different trips outside of work and make quite a few friends, take up extra hobbies like golf now and learn an awful lot more.

Ready for me to move into a full-time role later this year hopefully.

Same as Harry; I'm in the fourth year of my apprenticeship. I think it's just the life experience that you get from applying what you learn on the degree.

If I came off a degree course now and trying to apply for different companies and different grad schemes, I'd feel so out of my depth on that first day.

Whereas now in a similar position to someone in my year who I know -

I know people who have gone on to do degrees and they've come in they've had to go into a really tough job market for a graduate scheme whereas, I've not only got life experience with working at Rolls-Royce, but I've almost got a guaranteed job at the end.

So I'm feeling quite confident for my future.

So one of the big things I've gained is just soft skills really.

So before I came to be an apprentice, I was really afraid of ever presenting or talking to groups of people.

But nowadays, I can stand up in a technical review and talk through a project that I've been doing or just go to a STEM event like today and talk to multiple different people.

And then obviously life skills is just all technical work.

So I've learned an awful lot about engineering, especially electrical power systems, which I apply at work.

And then I like to talk to other people about it and try and pass on the knowledge that I've gained really.

I'd say it's quite similar.

I used to be quite introverted myself and it kind of doing a degree apprenticeship kind of forces you to put yourself out there.

You've got to put your point across when you're doing projects.

So maybe when you're doing coursework cause you're sat in your own room and you're doing it, hand it into the professor, you get some feedback.

But when I present my project to my manager, I've got to give reasons why I think this is the valid way to go forward and there's no way to hide behind like a screen or wait for feedback later on.

It's an in-person conversation to get him to agree.

So come right out of my shell.

That's that's the main thing.

I think on my apprenticeship so far, the most exciting bit we've had is when we did the Outward Bounds in Eskdale up in the Lake District.

We spent a week with all other apprentices on our course doing team building activities like rock climbing, canoeing and it was just a really good experience.

The practice soft skills say, like presenting, and everything but it was just such a good thing to work with all your, your different colleagues and have a load of fun as well and we did it in our third year so we all knew each other quite well and actually all worked as a team and it was that was quite rewarding and to be fair one of the most exciting bits as well.

I would say for me it's when you get to the end of a placement and you look back on the work you've done you think, wow I've learned so much.

But you know in your head - I've learned so much now that I feel like I could do it better.

And so it kind of motivates you when you're on your next placement to think okay I'll change the way I approach this project and it's always like a continuous improvement task.

So I feel like you always get that reward at the end of a placement of 'I've done a good job here - now let's go to the next one and do a even better job.'

My advice is just know what you want, know what subject you want to do because it's a bit difficult to sort of change.

You need to actually look up what it is you want out of life and where you want to go and what interests you really as most and go for that.

Do what do what you love to do rather than choose a job and try and make it work.

Yeah, I'd totally agree with that, I'd say the degree apprenticeship going through a company, the company provides so many free opportunities, so many extracurricular things that a lot of people don't really take advantage of.

And that are not provided for free when you just go to a regular uni and do a degree.

So, taking a degree apprenticeship on, I'd say if you do - do it, take every opportunity provided.

Put yourself out there - because that's going to put you ahead of the curve compared to the rest of your cohort.

Rolls Royce Engineering Degree Apprentices on their journey so far video

Back to Apprentices