Guest Blog by Millie Coombes, Rail Telecoms Design Engineer, Atkins

Millie is a member of the Industry Apprentice Council (IAC), founded by EAL, who act on behalf of apprentices in the advanced manufacturing and engineering sector and other related industries. To help us celebrate International Women in Engineering Day, Millie has written a guest blog telling us about her experiences as a woman in engineering.

I am currently almost three years into my apprenticeship with Atkins in the rail telecoms design team. I began as an advanced apprentice and I have now moved onto a degree apprenticeship studying digital and technology solutions. During my time with Atkins I have worked on a number of high profile jobs such as Crossrail and HS2 which has enabled me to gain skills very quickly on the job and learn how to deal with an increase in design responsibility under the guidance of more senior engineers.

Alongside my work I have a voluntary role on the Women in STEM Plymouth committee as an events coordinator which means I have the responsibility of organising quarterly networking events with a standard attendance of 30+. These events have the goal to connect and inspire women working in Science, Engineering, Technology and Maths which is a wonderful thing to be able to facilitate. In my role at the moment I see the lack of gender diversity (and general diversity) in those working in the engineering sector and more specifically the rail sector. I come into contact with so many inspiring women in engineering through my day job and my volunteering and it is unfortunate that the industry doesn't always monopolise on the potential to increase this pool of talent.

4 years as a Jaguar Land Rover Apprentice - Worth it.

Hello everyone I hope you are getting stuck into the National Apprenticeship Week festivities. I am an engineering apprentice who has been working at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) for the last 4 years. I am working in the supplier technical assistance department that deals with supply chain issues and ensures quality parts are delivered to the assembly line. At the same time, I am completing my degree at Warwick University which is sponsored by the company so is fantastic in that respect.

The best thing about working at Jaguar Land Rover is working on luxury products and knowing that you made a small contribution to the final outcome. As an example I was working on onboarding suppliers with a project management tool for the new electric Jaguar I-Pace that was launched on March the 1^st this year. I can therefore say I had a part to do with the making of that! The hardest part of being an apprentice is it can be difficult at times to balance working full time and studying. There are some other apprentices who have young kids and I honestly don’t know how they manage it! In the end though it is definitely worth it because you get sponsored through the degree and get paid really well. My starting salary was around £18,000 and I am now on over £25,000, not bad after coming straight out of A-levels.

Age: 18

Title of apprenticeship: Advanced Technical Apprenticeship

Year of apprenticeship: Year 2 – 2016 intake

Why did you choose / what inspired you to become an apprentice?

I have always been interested in engineering as when I was young I always liked to build models at home and when I was in year 9 I applied for the Young Apprenticeship at Rolls-Royce. When I got accepted, I was so excited as I knew it was such an amazing opportunity. I came to Rolls-Royce once a week during my GCSEs where I completed numerous sections such as turning, electronics and welding. We also completed a BTEC level 2 with Derby College. During the Young Apprenticeship, I decided to apply for the full time Advanced Technical Apprenticeship at Rolls-Royce because I had enjoyed the Young Apprenticeship so much. I had to go through a long interview process but it was worth it as I ended up getting offered the job.

This time last year, I was an A Level student preparing for my exams and seriously considering what my future would hold beyond the Summer.

Building surveying was (and still is) my interest. I liked the idea of understanding the way the elements of a building work together and how to get the most out of them. It was slightly different from my original plans in psychology, sport and fashion, but something I wanted to pursue. Originally, I heard about it online and then did some work experience to make sure that I was ready to invest time into it. During these placements, I was introduced to the idea of apprenticeships.

To round off a fantastic Rail Week, we're delighed to have Michelle Nolan-McSweeney, Network Rail's Head of Training Strategy, as a guest blogger - to explain more about the organisation's apprenticeship plans.

These are exciting times for Network Rail - we're set to double the number of apprenticeships we offer nationwide, including fantastic new opportunities in cyber security and digital railway, as we seek to future-proof the skills needed to enable the British public to make over 4 million journeys a day.

We've recently recruited over 150 apprentices to join our award-winning advanced apprenticeship scheme from September 2017 – which delivers the front-line engineers vital to keeping the rail network running. Trainees specialise in one of five disciplines: track, signalling, overhead lines, electrical and plant, and telecom – and other opportunities exist nationwide as we seek to attract further intakes.

To celebrate Rail Week, we have a guest blog from Nichola Wright, a former apprentice (and EAL learner) who is now a Signalling Technician for Network Rail.  Here Nichola describes her career journey and why she loves working in the industry.

Earlier this year, I completed my advanced apprenticeship (which included EAL qualifications) with Network Rail, which has given me the opportunity to pursue the job I currently have and began my railway career.

Before leaving school, like most people, I knew very little about the railway and had a limited knowledge of any apprenticeships that were available to me. I found out about the Network Rail apprenticeship through a family member, and was unsure about my feelings towards attending university at the time and so decided to apply. I was very fortunate to gain a place on the scheme with my first application, and in the September after my A-Levels I travelled down to Portsmouth to attend my 9 month residential training course.