Why I opted for an apprenticeship

In National Apprenticeship Week we have spoken with former student Niall Quinn who opted for an apprenticeship rather than the traditional university route post Worth.

Niall did Physics, Maths and Chemistry at A Level and was thrilled to be accepted on to the four-year Rolls-Royce Engineering Degree Apprenticeship Scheme in association with the University of the West of England.

Having completed the course with 1st Class Honours in 2022, Niall is now a mechanical design engineer with Rolls-Royce based in Bristol and thoroughly enjoying his role.

Rolls-Royce have a strong and successful apprenticeship scheme and view apprentices as a vital part of their workforce and talent strategy, allowing them to grow the skills they need and to re-skill and develop their employees.

We spoke to Niall about his time at Worth, his decision to follow the apprenticeship route and the benefits of doing so.

Niall, who was in Rutherford House and left in 2018, said: “I joined Worth in Year 9 and from the offset felt welcomed into the community. I had never really got on with school before this point yet through my years there (at Worth) I quickly began to enjoy the classroom and with the support of teachers who always somehow made the time to work with me, the concept of learning finally clicked.

“I feel fortunate to have attended a school with such great facilities and atmosphere and I can say that I am privileged to be able to call myself a Worthian.”

Asked what he would say to students thinking of taking the apprenticeship route, Niall said: “I imagine the majority of your classmates will go to university and that the majority of parents and even teachers may encourage you down this typical route, however this is not the only option available to you.

“Call me a contrarian but I wasn’t too keen on the prospect of going to university by conventional means. In studying full time, it is obviously difficult to earn money and so you would be financially dependent on either a student loan or, if you are very fortunate, the bank of mum and dad. That may work for some, however for me by the time I was leaving school I was desperate to gain some independence and start my own adventure. I was quite keen to get started in my career and an apprenticeship offered the first step up I needed.”

Talking about the benefits of apprenticeships, Niall said: “There are many benefits to doing an apprenticeship and the headline item is free education. It can’t be understated just how significant it is having your university studies paid for and being able to start your career without lugging around any student debt.

“To be clear, you would gain the exact same degree from a level 6 apprenticeship as you would by going to university directly, so please don’t be misled into thinking that it is some half measure qualification. However, an apprenticeship is more than just free university. By the time you enter a full-time role you will have around four years of real world experience under your belt, putting you strides ahead of other graduates applying for competitive employment positions. Typically, you shouldn’t even need to take part in a job search following your apprenticeship as the company that sponsored you is likely to roll out the red carpet with a job offer already waiting for you.”

The image shows Niall now and a picture of him while at Worth.

Congratulations Niall, we are proud of what you have achieved in your career so far.

For more on an education at Worth click here.