What is your current role?

I am currently a 3rd year Business Graduate Apprentice at Leonardo Edinburgh. This course is specialised, so I am working as a Project Controller and studying a BA Hons Business Management degree at the University of Strathclyde. As a Project Controller, I am responsible for maintaining the schedule and project plans within my area. I have moved around a variety of teams in Leonardo and have now settled in my final placement in the Radar area of the business.

Why did you decide to become an apprentice?

During my 5th year of high school, I realised that the opportunities for subjects that I was interested in, like economics and business were relatively limited in 6th year. I met with my school’s career advisor who suggested that I explore other opportunities that would allow me to continue my academic journey whilst gaining industry work experience. I had heard of Leonardo before, due to its rich history in the local community, and after researching the options I settled on applying. Initially, I was interested in pursuing both Engineering and Business apprenticeship career routes, so I opted for the Business role in an Engineering sector - which I felt was a good balance of my interests and strengths.

What does a typical day look like in your role? 

In the morning, I check my emails and calendar to create a well-rounded view of what my day will include and what meetings I need to prepare for. I then schedule my projects and review their progress; this allows me to see if there are any potential issues I need to raise with the project team. I usually attend a few meetings with my integrated project team (IPT) and work with them to update the plans accordingly based on project progress. There are Project Controls team meetings, which allow me to ask questions and workshop solutions to any department specific issues. I also work on building some of our prospect plans to ensure that we are recording future work and recruiting accordingly.

What is your greatest achievement at Leonardo so far?

Starting my professional development through the apprenticeship at 16 was, initially, a daunting experience. However, with the help of my fellow apprentices and placement managers I became a more confident employee and was able to ask questions and take on further responsibility that was outside of my comfort zone previously.

During my time at Leonardo, I have been heavily involved with STEM and felt incredibly proud when myself and two other apprentices first trialled the STEM activities that we designed at an on-site STEM event. Raising awareness for the importance of STEM subjects and giving back to the local community is very important to me so this opportunity to execute something that we created and campaigned for was extremely rewarding.

Are there any hobbies/activities you take part in outside of your apprenticeship?

Outside of work I enjoy reading, both fiction and non-fiction books to relax after a day of meetings.  I also love to spend my evenings and weekends cooking for friends and family, I especially enjoy trying new recipes and experimenting with different cuisines!  

What are your aspirations for the future?

Looking to the future, I am looking forward to progressing into my final year at university where I aim to achieve a first on my dissertation and degree. After graduation, I want to continue working as a Project Controller to develop my technical and soft skills. Eventually I would love to move down south and therefore would like to take on a project management role at a different site in the UK to gain exposure to the other projects that Leonardo is a part of. I would also love to pursue some of the travel opportunities within Leonardo as I would be interested to collaborate with employees abroad.

Would you recommend an apprenticeship, and why?

I have and would 100% recommend an apprenticeship as an alternative to the traditional route to employment. I think apprenticeships offer people at all levels the unique opportunity to gain an academic qualification whilst completing work experience and developing their personal and professional skills. Earning a wage while you learn is obviously a huge benefit to taking the apprenticeship route however my personal favourite benefit is that you can get ahead of the game and avoid the rush of applying to graduate courses, especially if you are doing a popular university course.