Higher Level Apprentice Electrical Engineering

I chose an electrical apprenticeship due to studying electronics at level 3 standard for two years previously, this was also part of the reason for picking the higher over the craft. There were other options I’d explored before and this had been a graduate position, as I’d previously achieved a degree in another discipline, however I wanted to develop my knowledge and experience further in engineering. I started my career in engineering at the age of 28, so I already had a good amount of experience and understanding in leadership, along with many of the soft skills associated with it. An apprenticeship was the opportunity where I could work on my technical abilities that I lacked due to working in a very different sector before.

My predominant goal is engineering management, I very much enjoy the holistic project analytics and the constant manipulation of the factors involved. This is why I picked Babcock, as they have an enormous range of projects, incorporating legacy and innovative technologies, with an incredible variety of people.

I’m a through-life maintenance engineer now as a result of my apprenticeship and I’m assigned a particular ship where I organise its maintenance through fleet time and its upkeep period. Typical days consist of following up on the contractor’s work, making sure systems have been tested and the correct certificates are in place ensuring the vessel is working correctly and are at a safe standard to complete the tasks they are required to achieve. An out of the ordinary day has the chance to visit the ship anywhere in the world while it is in dock in order to achieve the maintenance requirements.

There are many great aspects about my job role, getting to learn everything about a ship and its systems, every day is a learning day. My role allows me to dig deeper into the maintenance that is being completed and if I have ideas around improvements, then I am supported in running projects to gather more information. The responsibility means I have an invested interest in doing the best I can, I feel valued and trusted in my abilities.

On a personal note, the biggest challenge for me has been holding all the information that I’m exposed to and being fair to myself when I need to ask a question for a second time, third time and occasionally forth time.