Graduate apprentice builds engineer career while mentoring colleagues
Nine years after beginning his apprenticeship journey, Kenneth Murdoch has returned to studying as a Graduate Apprentice in Engineering Systems and is using this experience to build his career and mentor colleagues.
Kenneth (33) works as a gas and combustion engineer at Boiler & Valve Engineering Ltd in Nairn and says the support he has received from his employer and UHI Inverness has allowed him to follow his passion.
“I am proud to be completing this qualification whilst working full time within my current role and feel it will be a great achievement when I complete it,” said Kenneth.
“Starting this course was driven by my passion for engineering, originally focussed on mechanical engineering. As the company developed so did the opportunities for career paths which gave me the opportunity to work towards electrical qualifications and now gas and combustion qualifications. I feel working in a small company like Boiler & Valve Engineering has been a great opportunity to reach my goals due to great teamwork ethics and support network we passionately follow.”
Kenneth initially carried out a three-year apprenticeship completing his NC part-time and then a HNC through day-release over two years. He also gained SVQ3 Engineering Systems to meet the in-house competencies to gain qualified status.
During this time he shadowed qualified engineers, predominantly in distilleries, who helped him to gain the foundation knowledge and skills required to be a service engineer.
“I have now gone back to UHI Inverness to further my education as I have always wanted to obtain my degree in engineering-based studies to develop my skills and knowledge in the sector and work towards my goal of a project engineering role,” he said.
“My studies through my NC, HNC and now the degree programme have aligned well with the engineering sector I work within, boosting my understanding of equipment and processes whilst improving my ability to produce technical documentation and analyse reports to support my work. A big part of Boiler & Valve is apprenticeships, so I have also developed my skills and knowledge in training and teaching apprentices to be a mentor to those following the apprenticeship programme.”
Kenneth particularly likes that the graduate apprenticeship combines practical and theoretical teachings to allow him to progress to a higher technical position.
“It has not only given me a lot experience in engineering but also life lessons to prepare myself for technical problems and challenges faced in industrial engineering, as well as the motivation to continue developing as an engineer. I would highly recommend an apprenticeship as you gain not just the qualifications, but the knowledge and experience required for technical roles and develop confidence and communicative skills, whilst also benefitting from the vast knowledge from fellow engineers who have decades of experience.”
Find out more about our engineering courses: Mechanical Engineering - UHI Inverness