Meet the Graduates
February 28, 2024
Catching up with our Graduate Engineers As part of WSP Engineering’s vision and strategic business plan aimed at fostering the
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Harry Baines Speaks About his Experience of the WSP Engineering Apprenticeship Programme
WSP Engineering are proud to offer an industry-leading apprenticeship programme, offering the younger generation a platform to pursue their careers in engineering, health and safety and project management.
Every member of the WSP Engineering team has access to a development programme and coaching, ensuring our apprentices develop their people and business skills alongside their technical abilities.
We caught up with our third year apprentice, Harry Baines and asked him some questions about the WSP Engineering Apprenticeship Programme.
I was studying for a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Electronic Engineering at Leicester College; they (WSP Engineering) came to the college to present their apprenticeship programme.
I expressed an interest to the college’s careers coach and had an interview with the WSP Engineering managers and directors.
I started as a placement student on a six-month placement in January 2020; Dave and Rich (WSP Engineering Directors) were pleased with my performance and offered me a place on their apprenticeship programme in June 2020.
I now support them with the presentations at Leicester College and speak to other younger potential apprentices about the great opportunities at WSP Engineering.
I intend to stay with WSP Engineering and become a fully qualified engineer, with a view to go down the technical route.
I will soon be starting a Level 3 NVQ in electrical installation, which the company are providing.
The team at WSP Engineering are fantastic, and they have such a diverse range of knowledge and depth of experience. So there is always someone who can help you and point you in the right direction.
The leadership development programme has allowed me to develop my business and people skills. This is a unique offering as many businesses will just focus on the technical aspects of the role. Being able to effectively engage with customers and team members and understand the commercial side of the business has been beneficial to my development.
You are given the freedom to learn and develop yourself, and I have massive respect for the level of responsibility they give you from the start. I am just as responsible for my learning and development as they are. You have a voice and are treated as a team member. For example, the apprentices have their own section in the company business meetings to provide an update on their progress. This has been incredibly useful for me to build on my presentation skills.
As with any apprenticeship programme, you have a large workload to complete. Learning how to plan and prioritise the urgency and importance of different tasks and projects have been crucial to my success.
My time is split between on and off the job learning. Every week is different and I love the variety of the work and projects you are given.
The team really care about our development, and all of the projects and tasks I am given are focused on being beneficial to me and my development.
No day is the same, and I have had great opportunities to travel and work with different people and businesses.
Since March 2022 one of my projects has been the relocation of our site cabins, which I have been given the lead on. This has been a huge responsibility and has helped me develop my project management, budgeting, contractor management and design skills.
My first installation on the DHL shipper line allowed me to showcase my technical abilities, and the success of this installation gave me the opportunity to take a larger role in the panel and site installation on a project at Long Clawson Dairy.
The diversity of the projects I get involved in, every week is different and I am working with different people and businesses in different locations around the UK.
To find out more about our apprenticeship programme, click the link below
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