Westbury student celebrates engineering success

A Westbury student is building a career in engineering after a college course and work placement helped her secure a three-year apprenticeship.

Lucy Harding, 19, secured the role with AJM Engineering in Corsham after completing a T Level Engineering course at Wiltshire College & University Centre.

She was also named Engineering Student of the Year at the college’s annual Student Awards recently.

Lucy is now gaining hands-on experience in programming and operating machinery while working on a variety of engineering projects.

She said, “I started on Level 2, worked my way up to Level 3, and now I’m on an apprenticeship with the employer I did my work experience with.

“It’s amazing what you can do after getting that bit of education. It’s great.”

Her experience comes as the college reports a rise of almost 50% in T Level student numbers. The two-year qualifications are equivalent in size to three A Levels and combine classroom learning with a minimum of 45 days of industry placement.

The college is encouraging more employers to offer placements to help students gain practical experience and explore potential careers.

Ann Simpson, the college’s work placement team leader, said, “Industry placements are at the heart of T Levels, giving students the opportunity to develop real workplace skills, build confidence and gain experience that simply can’t be replicated in the classroom.”

Businesses can find out more at www.wiltshire.ac.uk/thebigplacement.

Pictured: Lucy Harding receiving Engineering Student of the Year award