An apprentice is making the most of a hands-on degree opportunity in the engineering industry.
Liam Hill, an electronics engineering degree apprentice, is gaining real-world experience at Dynamic Load Monitoring UK Ltd (DLM) in Nursling while studying at Southampton Solent University.
His journey with the company began after he completed year 11 in 2022 and reached out to DLM for work experience.
Mr Hill said: "At the end of the two weeks (work experience), DLM Approached me about working part-time while I was at college.
READ MORE: University study show Antarctic water mass reverses freshening trend
"Building a basic knowledge of it at Solent and now being able to tie it into what we do here was a massive help."
After finishing college, DLM offered him a degree apprenticeship, supported by the company’s ongoing partnership with Solent University.
Carly Collins, performance and people director at DLM, said: "At DLM, we believe some of the best development happens when learning and practical experience go hand in hand.
"Liam is a great example of that.
"He first joined us for work experience, progressed to working with us alongside college, and is now completing his degree apprenticeship while continuing to develop his career at DLM.
"It’s been really rewarding to see his confidence, knowledge and responsibilities grow.
"Degree apprenticeships give us the opportunity to invest in talented people early in their careers, while giving them the chance to apply what they are learning directly within a real engineering environment."
One area Mr Hill has already begun exploring is PLC systems, a topic he hadn’t expected to encounter so early in his studies.
READ MORE: University research uncovers bizarre witchcraft trials over lost property
He said: "I've been starting to do some work on PLC systems, which I find very helpful, very fun.
"I think it's going to be good that I can use something I've learned at work and apply it to my studies."
He believes the greatest benefit of a degree apprenticeship is learning in both the classroom and the workplace.
He said: "I can learn it at university and then they're helping me properly embed it into what we do at work and understand it from a different perspective."
Share