Engineering apprenticeships - what are they really like?

Scott Bryce and Robbie Laverty have both recently been promoted to the role of Assistant Mechanical Engineer after joining ESD’s apprenticeship scheme and completing their, HNCs, HNDs and then degrees while working at ESD. We asked them why they chose to go down this route.

Robbie: I wasn’t too sure what I wanted to do in high school. I’d thought about becoming an architect; that’s until I realised it would take 8-9 years to qualify – I would probably still be on the course right now! I wasn’t a big fan of the idea of doing a traditional university course anyway, so that’s why I chose the apprenticeship route.

Scott: I had wanted to get into engineering from the start as I was around that as a child with people in my family working in engineering. I chose an apprenticeship because I thought it would make me a better all-round engineer: the work during the day at ESD would help me with my coursework, and vice versa. I’d learn things at Uni that I could start trying at ESD.

The first year, when we were doing our HNCs, we did a full week in college. When we moved to our HNDs, that reduced to 2-3 days per week and we worked at ESD on the remaining days. By the time we started our degree courses, we were doing just one day per week at Uni. It was one day, but a really long one – 9am to 9pm. I used to get home and be absolutely shattered on that day!

What did you find challenging about working and studying at the same time?

Robbie: It got harder as time went on, because the workload at university is a lot more than at college and there are constant assessments (not just one per block like at college). I had to work on my coursework at the weekends or at night after the day at ESD. When it was a Uni day, I’d be getting home at 11pm and then have to get up for work first thing the next morning. So, it was intense.

In January, last year, when the office opened up again, I started coming in at 7.30 and then staying a few hours after the day ended so I could work on my dissertation. That’s really how I managed it.

Scott: I found the COVID time the hardest. Not being able to go to campus made it difficult to stay motivated and focussed. When we first started, our only contact with our classmates and other students was via Teams. It was a bit strange trying to get to know them in that way. Being in the house all the time meant that time just passed in a bit of a blur. It did seem to go incredibly fast because everything merged into one.

Robbie: We went back on a hybrid basis in the final year. That helped, just with things like using software. For example, I was using a 3D model one day and it just deleted everything for no apparent reason. That would be hard to sort out over Teams, but with the lecturer there on the spot, it was easier to solve problems and ask questions.

What kinds of tasks did you do in ESD during the apprenticeship?

Robbie: Because I was trained in AutoCAD, I did a lot of CAD drawings for the mechanical engineering team at ESD who tend to be less familiar with it. I also got to help out with the VPI models working with William Maxwell last year too.

Scott: I didn’t get much exposure to the software, not as much as Robbie, but I got to do a secondment with M&E, working with Andrew Lamb (CEng) . That was really beneficial for me to get experience of the delivery side and get out on sites.

Robbie: The only site work I really did were the site observations. That means literally observing people at work, standing next to them, noting things down, tracking everything they do,. People on site would say to me: “What did you just write down on the clipboard about me?” It’s an understandable reaction. I just learnt to explain that I wasn’t there to mark anyone down; it was more about making the job better than anything else. It’s something a lot of new grads do, and it’s a good way of learning how sites work and how to get along with people, even if it is a bit awkward at times!

How has that changed since you started your new roles?

Scott: I’m now working a lot more independently: I’ve been working at East Linton since Christmas as the sole mechanical engineer, which is exactly the kind of experience and responsibility I need at this stage. I’ve just started working on Bertha Park [a new SR21 project about to go into construction] as well. That’s mainly been about helping with the acquired survey documents for the sub-contractors. Another project that’s just kicking off is Rockcliffe.

Robbie: I’ve been working more on the Integrated Wedge jobs [these are the Plan & Prepare stage of ESD projects]. I’m involved in Morebattle, which is in the detailed design phase, and Black Esk. I like working in the Wedge, but I’m looking forward to getting more experience of the later phases of construction.

Scott: It’s really been the opposite for me. I’m keen to get more experience in the Wedge, so we’ll hopefully swap over a bit in the coming months!