Undergraduate Engineer Review

2 days a week of lectures/ study and 3 days a week working as an engineer in different teams throughout dyson. Every 6 months the team that you work in changes around so that you get a good overview of different roles. You are partnered with a mentor and a line manager for each rotation as well as an institute engineer for the specific discipline.

Through the degree we learn new skills/ academic knowledge. Through the training provided 'on the job' we learn skills that are relevant to the role that we are currently doing such as CAD, Matlab, practical skills eg use of electronics equipment, soldering, low level machining etc. We also learn professional development skills from dedicated professional development staff.

All elements of the programme definitely have the potential to be enjoyable, however the stress that comes with the programme due to the amount of work and little time means that some bits are not enjoyed when they could have been. That being said a lot of effort is put in to enhance our well being and I am of the opinion that they just haven't worked out the root issue and they will work out what the right balance is in time. Overall I enjoy it, just not as much as I feel there is potential for.

The structure of the working week is excellent, I am unsure if working days will change each year but am hoping it stays the same as it really suits me as the lectures really break up the week. In terms of the order of training for our workplace, it was mainly delivered in a block at the start of first year at a time when there was a lot of info. Ad hoc training as required for different roles is also carried out. The modules of the degree are sometimes not so well ordered eg a maths skill required for mechanics module 1 is taught in maths module 2. (although I am told this is standard at most Unis). They are usually fairly quick to fix structure issues and it seem harsh to compare too much given they have only been delivering a degree for a few months, against unis that have been doing it for years.

We receive a lot of support in all areas. In workplace we have a mentor and Line manager. Every year group have a student support advisor who they have monthly (as a minimum) 1:1s. There is a dedicated Disability support advisor to help with reasonable adjustments and accessibility requirements. There are countless others to list but the general feeling of support is great.

The training provider is the Dyson Institute so the support staff are the same as listed above. I would say that the support given for workplace is better/more than the support given on the academic side but I would say that is makes sense as students will have had experience on the academic side having studied for GCSEs and A levels, whereas some students will not have been in employment before and most will not have worked in an environment such as this.

The content of the modules that we learn directly applies to the role so something that you might learn in lectures could be directly applied to your work the next day or vice versa. This means that sometimes you could be ahead of the game in lectures having covered a specific component or theory for a project in work, or may be ahead in work having learnt it in lectures.

There are sports, clubs, night buses to local cities, a local network with other apprenticeships. Covid has definitely impacted social activity but it is making a come back. The undergraduate experience committee (which can be closely compared to a student union) are great at trying to ensure we don't miss the student experience

Yes

I think it is the best way of ensuring you have all the knowledge and qualifications for a modern engineer role. The 4 years of work experience that you will have obtained by the time you graduate will put you ahead on your career pathway and allow you to learn and adapt to a working lifestyle. Some people are also uniquely suited to the learning style where you can apply what you have learnt in lectures to areal life problem the next day.

Make sure you know what you are signing up for, learn about the company and its values and make sure you have the right motivations for choosing this option. Don't worry about the interview/ assessment, just use what you know. If you think it might suit you, definitely apply as it is separate to UCAS so it doesn't cost you one of your 5 choices.