Hands-on winner [22/07/2010] Ann Watson speaks to engineering apprentice Philippa Wilson about unmanned aircraft, hands-on experience and why apprentices have more opportunities than graduates. Philippa Wilson, 23, who works as a qualified technician for BAE Systems in Balderstone, was a finalist in the Advanced Apprentice of the Year category at the 2010 National Apprenticeship Awards. She has completed EAL qualifications in Engineering Technical Support NVQ Level 3 and Performing Engineering Operations NVQ Level 2. Ann: Congratulations on being a finalist at the National Apprenticeship Awards! What made you choose engineering and why did you take the apprenticeship route? Philippa: I completed A-levels in French, German, Computing and Electronics, but didn't want to go to university. This was partly because I didn't like the idea of getting into debt, but also because I'm very practical and I wanted a course that gave me a hands-on approach. Being an engineering apprentice at BAE Systems gave me everything I was looking for. I absolutely loved it and being paid a wage while training was pretty good too! Ann: Have you been disadvantaged by not going to university? Philippa: Not at all. The amount of competition for graduate jobs is unbelievable at the moment because there are simply too many people going to university. There were 1,000 students in my year at college, but I can only think of three who didn't go on to university. One of my friends studied for a psychology degree and was on a course with 230 other students – and that's just at one university! While the graduates I've worked with at BAE Systems have certainly had theoretical knowledge, they initially lacked the technical experience to know what works in reality. As an apprentice, the practical element of four years' training has given me a really strong foundation of practical and academic knowledge. During my time at BAE Systems, I have also had the opportunity to travel, putting my language skills to good use. I spent three weeks working in Munich, Germany, which I absolutely loved. Ann: What advice would you give someone considering a career in engineering? Philippa: The opportunity to apply everything you've leaned can't be recreated in a lecture theatre. The professional, work-based experience of an apprenticeship has been invaluable. Also, it's important that girls aren't put off considering an engineering career. While there were more boys on my apprenticeship programme, they've always treated me as every bit their equal. Ann: What would you say has been your biggest achievement to date? Philippa: In the last 18 months of my apprenticeship, I worked on a £6.5million unmanned aircraft research project. I was one of the project managers, responsible for a £20,000 budget and my own team of apprentices. It was an amazing opportunity. You could only get that level of responsibility from an apprenticeship – degrees just don't expose you to these types of experiences. Ann: That's incredible! So, Philippa, what's next? Philippa: Having completed my apprenticeship successfully, I know now that engineering is what I really want to do. I'm keeping my eyes open for all opportunities I can seize to help me progress my career. BAE offered me the chance to increase my knowledge by paying for me to study for an engineering degree at Manchester Metropolitan University. It's not a typical degree course though - I'm on a day release programme, which means that I can apply the knowledge in my work immediately, as opposed to waiting three or four years until I graduate. I think taking all opportunities is very important, and I've already had so many fantastic experiences through doing just that. Ann: Philippa it has been wonderful to speak to you and I wish you every success for the future. Ann Watson is managing director at EAL, an awarding organization for vocational engineering qualifications.