Student Case Studies

Engineering Level 3 Apprenticeship - Zoe

Former School(s): Reigate College, Royal Alexandra & Albert School

After enjoying Engineering at her previous College, Zoe knew she wanted to pursue it and followed her dad's advice to apply for an Apprenticeship. 

“I didn’t want to go to university as that was more written work, an Apprenticeship was more suited to me as I like to learn in action”

Zoe, along with her fellow Gatwick Airport Apprentices, was successful after her application, which involved a presentation on 'Why I Love Engineering' as well as a 2-hour long interview session.

The programme runs for four years, with the first year spent at College, where the Apprentices will build up their practical skills in the workshops. From the second year, they will combine their time with a placement at the Airport, putting their learning into action and completing their Level 3 BTEC qualification. Their final two years will be spent at the Airport continuing to learn their practical skills.

Zoe is particularly looking forward to their airfield work, working on elements such as the runway lights and sensors for aircraft parking, as "the electrical side is all really interesting.”

Whilst studying at College, Zoe has enjoyed making use of the technology and facilities, commenting that: 

“The equipment is amazing – I wasn’t expecting it to be this good. The facilities really are better than I expected. There are workshops for every element of Engineering. The equipment is great for testing our abilities – we’re able to discover new skills we didn’t know we had.”

For the first time, this group of Apprentices features an equal split between males and females, highlighting the industry’s commitment to promoting equality. On this topic, Zoe shared: 

“Progression is what keeps society developing. – having women in these kind of roles helps society to develop”

She is excited to continue progressing within her career at Gatwick Airport and would strongly recommend the Apprenticeship route: 

“100% - if you want to actually get a grasp of the type of career you want to go into. An Apprenticeship helps you to feel more grown up and you learn more than at uni.”

Interested in Engineering? Start your journey with ESC here.