<p>Weston College has launched a new scholarship, for Engineering learners, in partnership with the Luke Wheaton Trust.</p><p>The scholarship, which is available for one student, per year, is open to any apprentice studying on a Level 2, 3, 4 or 6 Engineering apprenticeship at Weston College.</p><p>The scholarship was introduced to honour the memory of former learner Luke Wheaton, one of Weston College’s most inspiring apprentices working with Wessex Water.</p><p>Each scholarship is worth £4,000, with students receiving £1,000 per year for up to four years. The scholarship is renewable annually, subject to progress being made as agreed in partnership between the College and the apprentice’s employer.</p><p>The first scholarship has been awarded to degree apprentice, Georgia, who impressed judges in her application, with her love of engineering and desire to succeed.</p><p>Georgia said of the scholarship: “I was so happy when I found out that I had been awarded the Luke Wheaton Legacy Trust Scholarship.</p><p>“The scholarship will support my education and help me to buy textbooks for my course in aerospace engineering. I will also put some of the scholarship money towards buying a laptop to help make better notes in my lectures so that I am well organised, and I would like to buy a Raspberry Pi to practice coding and further my knowledge of Python.”</p><p>Georgia went on to add some information about her apprenticeship: “I have really enjoyed my apprenticeship so far, as I have been able to meet apprentices from other companies as well as learning important skills about engineering and sustainability.</p><p>“I have enjoyed learning about different materials, their testing and application to different aircraft parts.</p><p>“When I complete my degree apprenticeship, I would like to further this understanding and research into material properties and look at cost effective and sustainable solutions to use in the aerospace industry.”</p><p>Jo Philpott, Vice Principal at Weston College, said: “Luke was a fantastic learner, and we really wanted to support other apprentices starting their journey into the engineering industry, in his honour.</p><p>“After receiving lots of applications, we are thrilled to offer the very first scholarship to Georgia, who is an apprentice with the Ministry of Defence.</p><p>“This scholarship will help Georgia’s development by paying for new equipment and also assisting with travelling.</p><p>“We are excited to see how this assists Georgia on her engineering journey.”</p><p><a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/courses-16-18-year-olds/engin… can find out more about apprenticeships in engineering at Weston College, by clicking here.</a></p>

<p><a href="https://www.ucw.ac.uk/courses/engineering-degree-apprenticeships/">UCW Engineering Degree</a> Apprentice, Jared Newnham, has been named the <a href="https://www.theiet.org/">Institution of Engineering and Technology’s</a> (IET) Apprentice winner.</p><p>At age 20, Ministry of Defence Aerospace Engineering Degree Apprentice, Jared, is currently undertaking a placement as an Airworthiness Certification Manager, where he is responsible for increasing air system operational capabilities through risk reduction and type design change embodiment. As part of his apprenticeship, Jared created a robust, regulatory compliant procedure that has been used for multiple complex technical queries and is being rolled out to all projects within the Delivery Team.</p><p>Jared’s apprenticeship is delivered through University Centre Weston (UCW) in partnership with <a href="https://www.uwe.ac.uk/">UWE, Bristol</a>. The course offers apprentices just like Jared the opportunity to combine full-time paid work with part-time academic study. All engineering courses at UCW are delivered in the fantastic facilities on offer at our <a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/why-choose-us/campuses-and-facilities/south-we… West Skills Campus</a>. This ensures students like Jared have access to the highest of industry-standard facilities, in order to learn and develop inside and outside of the classroom.</p><p>In addition to his main duties, Jared has become a keen advocate for engineering within the local community, coordinating an outreach event to promote careers to sixth form students and mentoring struggling classmates. Outside of work, Jared has a keen interest in exploring the outdoors through hikes and amateur astronomy.</p><p>On receiving the award, Jared said: “I can’t believe that I’ve been chosen as the IET’s Apprentice winner for 2022. There are so many apprentices doing great things across engineering so to be given this award makes me really proud.</p><p>“For anyone thinking about taking up a career in STEM, I would definitely recommend looking into apprenticeships. My placement with the Ministry of Defence has led to so many incredible opportunities which I will look back on fondly and which will hopefully lead to a long and enjoyable career.”</p><p>The IET Achievement Awards exist to recognise individuals from all over the world who have made exceptional contributions to the advancement of engineering, technology and science in any sector. This can be through research and development in their respective technical field or through their leadership of an enterprise.</p><p>Professor Bob Cryan, IET President said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Jared who has been making great waves in the world of engineering despite being so early on in his career. It is inspiring to see that Jared is using his passion for STEM to help teach others about the opportunities available to them, increasing awareness amongst members of his local community.</p><p>“Each of the award finalists demonstrated an exceptional level of skill and knowledge, spanning beyond their roles which made judging extremely difficult. All have taken on challenging projects and thanks to their creativity and resolve, have had a positive impact in their companies. I wish all of them the best of luck for a rewarding engineering career ahead.”</p><p>The Achievement Awards are part of the IET’s Awards and Scholarships programme, which celebrate excellence and research in the sector and encourage the next generation of engineers and technicians. All IET awards seek to inspire and reward engineering excellence, including apprentices at the start of their careers, through to reputable, established professional engineers and technicians.</p><p>Amazing work Jared!</p>

<p>My name is Jack, and I completed my Nuclear Engineering Degree Apprenticeship with Weston College in July 2022– which was sponsored by the Ministry of Defence.</p><p>I applied directly for my role with the Ministry of Defence, who in turn had arranged for their apprenticeship to be delivered through Weston College. After completing my A-Levels I took a few years away from education to pursue a volunteering role overseas, and upon my return to the UK was looking at ways to follow my desires to become an engineer. Exploring my options, including a ‘conventional’ University course, I discovered the world of degree apprenticeships and was excited by the opportunity to learn academic theory and see its direct application in the workplace. The prospect of earning a wage whilst doing so was just an added bonus!</p><p>The degree apprenticeship benefited me in ways that my friends who completed conventional degrees never could; to explore the breadth and depth of my chosen discipline both with academics, and with working professionals. Additionally, I was given the opportunity from day 1 of my studies to contribute to and deliver work for my employer that was of real-world significance and consequence, not purely academic exercises. Being able to work whilst studying also enabled me to reaffirm that engineering was a discipline that I wished to pursue professionally.</p><p>Being an apprentice brings a plethora of benefits, ranging from the opportunities to gain practical experience, to being prepared for the world of work. Qualifying for student discount and getting paid to learn are rather nice perks too!</p><p>Furthermore, working for the Ministry of Defence provided some once in a lifetime opportunities, ranging from seeing Submarines in construction, to going out on Operations with the NATO Submarine Rescue System, and travelling internationally to work with colleagues around the world. The mentoring and support that the MOD provided, and the encouragement to pursue personal development was really helpful and enabled me to undertake additional studies at university, whilst also engaging in STEM outreach work with the Nuclear Institute.</p><p>As this was a new course, and I was part of the first cohort to be sponsored through Weston College by the MOD, there was a steep learning curve. Both for us, and the staff through the five years of the scheme. In addition to the cultural changes to learn, trying to learn Nuclear engineering wasn’t without its difficulties. However, despite challenges and setbacks we, my friends and I, were able to complete the scheme and we all graduated and have been able to take up full time employment.</p><p>Since completing the degree apprenticeship, I've taken up a role with Rolls-Royce Submarines, where I work as a mechanical engineer. This is an exciting role which I'm deeply enjoying, and one that my apprenticeship helped prepare me for.</p><p>Completing a degree apprenticeship is a really rewarding (and challenging!) way of furthering your own education and competencies. There are more and more opportunities for degree apprenticeships becoming available every year, and so it’s certainly worth considering! Take time to research your potential employer, and the apprenticeship standard, to make sure it aligns with what you want to do. If you find a good fit, then there is no better way of getting into the world of work whilst continuing your education.</p><p>Apprenticeships have the power to unlock doors, provide opportunities and prepare you for the workplace in ways that universities don’t. If there is an opportunity to pursue your aspirations through an apprenticeship, then I cannot stress enough how seriously you should consider going down the apprenticeship route.</p><p><em>Jack</em></p><p><a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/what-can-i-study/apprenticeships?utm_source=ma… you would like to follow in Jack's footsteps and complete a degree apprenticeship, you can check out our courses, by clicking here.&nbsp;</a></p><p><a href="https://www.weston.ac.uk/news/weston-college-enrol-300-apprentices-50-d… you're an employer and would like to employ someone like Jack, you can do so through our 300 in 50 campaign. Find out more, by clicking here.&nbsp;</a></p>