Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
I have fallen off the side of a stage down a set of stairs three times twice in one show and once dressed as a smurf with my bass trombone in tow. Yes I am one of the clumsiest people I know of.
Tell us where you are on your apprenticeship journey.
I completed my Graduate Apprenticeship last July and I am now a Civil Engineer at AECOM.
I originally didn’t go for an apprenticeship when leaving school and went to university making the choice to leave and pursue a graduate apprenticeship was a huge decision but since then I have realised there is no wrong path and it’s never too late to choose the path into your dream career that’s right for you!
What sort of apprenticeship did you do?
I completed a graduate apprenticeship which allowed me to achieve my degree while working and getting paid, I attended university a day a week.
My apprenticeship focused upon active travel and sustainable transport which is a hugely import topic as we face a climate crisis, my role was and still is to design sustainable transport solutions all over Scotland, engage clients and provide site support where required.
How did you find out about the apprenticeship and what made you choose it?
I originally heard about apprenticeships at school, however when I was at university when I began to investigate other routes into civil engineering.
The chance to learn will you earn allowed me to become independent at 18, which was the largest selling point for me. Ultimately it was the right route for me with hands on experience to back the theory I was learning at uni which helped me progress greatly in the long run
What was your favourite thing about your apprenticeship?
One of my favourite things as an apprenticeship is the opportunity to create positive impact on the world we live in.
As a team we often design cycle lanes providing access to safe cycle routes for less experienced cyclists. Personally I volunteer as a Scout Leader and being able to see the benefit of these routes for my scouts as we utilise them to allow them to develop their confidence on bikes and earn badges creates a great sense of pride in me. Working in this field allows me to directly influence the future generation of engineers
Where do you hope to end up?
I hope to continue my career in Sustainable Transport Engineering whether that’s working on active travel routes, electric vehicle charging or smart motorways.
Any advice or tips for young people considering an apprenticeship?
Be you.
Apprenticeships provide you with a huge sense of confidence and independence, utilise this whether that’s at work, at college or uni, or in your personal life, the best thing you can do as apprentice is be yourself and take everything in to help you grow as a person, develop your future career route and benefit the work you do