Case Studies
The Student: Graeme Reid
After completing his Highers, Graeme went to college and graduated with an HNs in Mechanical Engineering and an HNs in Mechatronics. These qualifications gave him the head start he needed to win an apprenticeship as a Trainee Structural Engineer at AMEC in Aberdeen.
The ECITB Apprenticeship Experience
Graeme is currently half way through his two year apprenticeship at AMEC where he is working towards a Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) in Design & Draughting, supported by the ECITB. “My apprenticeship gives me paid work experience and allows me to get qualified at the same time.” Continues Graeme: “Best of all, my day-to-day work all counts towards the SVQ, so I can build my portfolio without having to do any additional coursework. I don’t even need to go into college every week as I can upload my work directly onto their website, where they can access it immediately. This doesn’t mean I don’t have support from my training provider, far from it, they’re always on the end of the phone and an assessor visits me once a month to make sure everything’s okay.”
Graeme didn’t need to spend his first year off-site with a training provider as he’d already covered design basics whilst taking his MNs qualifications. However, the majority of ECITB apprentices are required to spend their first year learning off-site at a local ECITB accredited college. Here students are taught key aspects of design, including: The principals of design; identification and analyse of design options; recognising characteristics of materials; producing drawings using computer aided Design & Draughting packages and understanding different types of drawings and their specifications. The rest of the apprenticeship (typically a three year course) is then spent gaining hands-on experience on-site.
Graeme’s work as a Trainee Structural Engineer means the majority of his day-to-day work is office based, using a CAD (Computer Aided Design) system to produce detailed drawings of process plants; working to client specifications and deciding how best to meet them. However, there are times when he has the opportunity to travel further afield, visiting oil-rigs to do site-surveys. Not only do these visits give Graeme the chance to see the projects he’s working on, but he travels there by helicopter!
Looking to the future, Graeme is excited about finishing his apprenticeship and working at AMEC as a fully qualified Structural Engineer: “I’m really happy where I am at the moment and am keen to get as much experience as I can.” Graeme continues: “Engineering construction is a huge, global industry and as ECITB qualifications are industry-recognised I’ll be able to work anywhere in the world!”
“If there’s one piece of advice I’d offer someone leaving school or college without the Higher’s or GCSE’s they’d hoped for, it’s not to be disheartened. There are so many different careers in engineering construction - some you might not have even heard of. Speak to your careers advisor, look on the ECITB website and see what’s out there. I didn’t get any Higher qualifications and I’ve got one of the best jobs of everyone in my year.”
Contacts
- Jim Kinnell
- Head of Apprenticeships Programmes
- Theresa Bisgrove
- Apprenticeships Administrator