I first became aware of Airbus’ Apprentice Scheme through advice received from my physics teacher and school careers service. Once I had reviewed the on-the-job experience combined with a degree qualification offered by the apprenticeship, which would be paid for by Airbus, it went straight to the top of my list of options for his A Levels.

My original passion was for civil and mechanical engineering, rather than aviation, however my three years as an apprentice at Airbus have sparked a similar enthusiasm for planes, with my work on computer aided design (CAD) and fluid dynamics areas of significant interest.

I have been able to apply the practical experience gained through my apprenticeship to my degree studies. And I took the opportunity to integrate day-to-day work at the Airbus’ Broughton site into my university dissertation project.

In spite of the intensive nature of combining an apprenticeship with a degree I have also found time to engage with some of the extracurricular and team building activities which are part of the apprenticeship scheme. For example, the opportunity to learn to fly a glider in a two-week course in Juist, Germany, was a particular highlight for me!

My decision to pursue the apprenticeship was one of the best decisions I have ever made, and using the skills and qualifications that I have gained, I have big plans for the future. In the short-term, I hope to pursue a Master’s Degree in order to become a qualified engineer.