• Sat. Oct 5th, 2024

North East Connected

Hopping Across The North East From Hub To Hub

Siemens apprentice blazes a trail for female engineers for National Apprenticeship Week

After achieving a BSc in Physical Geography and a varied career, which included time as a cabin crew member and estate agent manager, Amy craved a role which would challenge her as well as develop her skills. She felt an apprenticeship was the best pursuit especially because she could retrain as an engineer while in employment.

As an Electrical Engineering apprentice, Amy is following in her father’s footsteps as he previously started his career as an apprentice with Siemens. “Siemens has a long heritage in the North East – I even grew up with Reyrolle on my doorstep which later became Siemens. My dad worked for Siemens and started as an apprentice, with his career something I’ve always looked up to.”

Amy believes the varied nature of the apprenticeship has seen her gain wealth of experience with different specialist teams. Supporting the tendering team to work on the ever-changing process of managing a tender from inquiry to submission, gave her the opportunity to interact with all parts of the business from the principle engineer through to the quality department and planners to produce the best proposal to present to the customer.

“This so far has been one of my favourite placements where I felt I have made a significant contribution to the business.”

As part of the training, particularly her work with STEM, Amy has tested circuit breakers whilst on placement at a factory and presented at the “Seewomen” event in Newcastle. “Being asked to present to three hundred girls from local secondary schools was incredibly inspiring. The entire event was a highlight of my time so far due to the amount of enthusiasm shown from the entire team and I really felt like an ambassador for Siemens!”

Amy is already seeing the benefits an apprenticeship can bring to both her work and home life. “It’s boosted my confidence levels as I’ve had to adapt quickly to new environments while learning something new every day. I thrive off this, so it’s been enjoyable to develop my communication and presenting skills.

In recognition of her commitment to the business and performance in STEM, she was awarded Siemens UK Higher Apprentice of the year. “This was one of my proudest moments in my career. I would love to stay with the business and work my way up to inspire young girls into this exciting industry.

“I love what the North has to offer, and it is great that such engineering giants like Siemens have a base here. Being in the North East means I am part of the industry’s engineering heritage as well as learning from this history. I think we are lucky to have such great cities on our doorstep in the North East and definitely feel grateful that I can have such a rewarding career in the place I grew up!”