She’s one of the youngest people in her workplace – but Abbie Beaver hasn’t looked back since setting her sights on a career in engineering.
Abbie hopes her experience will inspire other young women as the UK’s engineering industry faces an uphill battle trying to attract new recruits.
The adi group apprentice, who has previously been recognised as one of the Women’s Engineering Society’s top 50 women engineers in the UK, first started at adi Group on its pioneering pre-apprenticeship scheme, whilst still at school.
It has provided young people like Abbie with a springboard into apprenticeships, having gained knowledge in electrical and mechanical engineering through a two-year in-house qualification.
Here are Abbie’s top five reasons for choosing a career in engineering:
1. Inspire others: “I’ve learned some really valuable skills in mechanical and electrical engineering and most of my friends are impressed when I tell them what I’m doing. I think it’s important to inspire other women.”
2. Work with top brands on interesting projects: “I’m lucky that I get to work on projects in different sectors, such as Food and Beverage or Automotive. Every day I get to work on a project which is making a real difference to each client and how they operate. I am constantly learning new things and developing my skills.”
3. Share and make a difference as a team: “I’ve progressed from adi’s Pre-Apprenticeship programme into its Apprentice Academy, so I’ve really learned the value of working together in different teams. We can be working on projects that need to be completed quickly, so understanding and communicating everyone’s strengths is key.”
4. Earn while you learn: “I really enjoy my apprenticeship course here, for me, I felt like an apprenticeship put me miles ahead of others at my age. I’ve learnt some core skills but also essential things like how to behave in the workplace and speak with customers – and it’s great to be earning my own money!”
5. Train for future careers: “What I’ve learned from my time as an apprentice is that there are so many career paths in engineering. It opens your eyes up in terms of what you can do and where your work could take you.”
The sector needs to attract 186,000 skilled recruits each year until 2024 to reduce its skills shortage, according to the government.
Made Futures was created to encourage people to get jobs in manufacturing, in support of those who have lost their jobs over the course of the 2020 pandemic. There's still time to sign up and be part of the exhibition by filling in the form here.