Alongside working at Rolls-Royce, Patrick studied with the University of Derby to gain a BEng (Hons) in Materials Engineering Technology.
“The degree is the foundation to the career. It provides you with the background and knowledge of a range of areas such as materials, maths, ethics and environment, innovation and much more.”
“As part of the apprenticeship, we got the flexibility of working across Rolls Royce, from Civil Aerospace and Defence to Submarines and Control Systems. From this, we were assigned four-month placements in areas such as design, research and development, manufacturing, and after-market.”
Alongside his degree, Patrick has had the opportunity to work with industry leading scientists and engineers, allowing him to learn and expand his skills.
“I have been able to work alongside world leading scientists and engineers as part of my projects. I was able to ask them direct questions about any problems I had on my projects which was super helpful. A lot of the study we do at university compliments the day-to-day tasks that we do at Rolls-Royce. Building a network of individuals from across the business to learn from has been invaluable. If we had a problem on our assignment, we could always go to specialists to expand our learning.”
Patrick wanted an experience different to the typical university route, which has led him to trying things he never thought were possible as an apprentice. He explains:
“I have been put in positions where other people my age wouldn’t have had the opportunity. Whilst on a placement in Submarines, I managed to travel down to HMNB Devonport and go on a submarine. You get so many opportunities to do things that other students wouldn’t do or have access to kit or technology where there is only one available in the world. It’s incredible.”