After a national application process, Exeter College student Sky has secured an apprenticeship to become a design engineer for Motorsport at Thatcham.

Sky has just completed her Foundation Diploma in Engineering at the college and is now looking forward to beginning her new role in September. Out of 140 applicants, Sky passed five assessments and two interviews to secure her well-deserved place.

“It’s not just that I’ve come here and gained a qualification, I’ve come here and I’ve gained experience. My attitude to things has improved, I have a different outlook on things. I’ve improved as a person.”

Sky, future Design Engineer for Motorsport

She used the government’s Find An Apprenticeship website and widened her search area to the whole of England to ensure she located the best choice for her, despite potentially having to move.

She said, “I was looking at apprenticeships since the beginning of the year and on a whim, I typed in motorsport. The apprenticeship I ended up applying to was the only one that came up at the time and I thought, am I going to be able to get this?”

Sky sent off her application, complete with CV and qualifications, in February and did not hear back until April when she was invited to their offices for an aptitude test.

She said, “I told my mum we need to be in Thatcham in two weeks!”

The aptitude test was made up of five different parts, from physics and torque to sequences and shapes. Out of the 140 people that applied, only 25 were invited to the tests.

Shortly after, Sky received an email saying she was invited to the first interview stage on Teams. The panel asked her about her strengths and weaknesses, and she was completely honest about what she wanted to improve on. Her teacher, George, advised and helped her with what to discuss in the interview.

She said, “Big up George. From the start of the year I just felt really motivated to get on. The message always was if you get an opportunity, apply for it.”

Despite not knowing how her first interview went, Sky was successfully invited to a tour of the office at Thatcham and a second, final interview. After getting up at four in the morning to look around the factory, Sky fell in love with it.

“The whole process she went through, she mastered it and succeeded.”

George, Sky’s teacher

She said, “I felt like I belonged there. After seeing it I was hoping I would get it even more.”

The next day, Thatcham called her and said they would like to offer her the job.

George said, “When she told me she had got it, I had goosebumps. It’s just fantastic. I’ve seen the build up to it and I knew that every stage she made it through she was just getting closer and closer to the end. The whole process she went through, she mastered it and succeeded.”

Sky originally studied at Torrington School but chose to come to Exeter for her Foundation Diploma in Engineering because she had heard lots of good reviews. She has fully enjoyed her time here and would like to thank her teachers for always answering any question she had.

She said, “It’s not just about my career. I feel like I’ve progressed as a person as well. At the beginning of the year I was quite quiet, I wasn’t as social as I am now. I’ve gained a lot more interests and I get out and do a bit more. I’ve gained more personal values and morals.

“The people at college – they are what makes it. The class I was part of are a great bunch of people. I’ll be sad to leave this place.”

Sky

“It’s not just that I’ve come here and gained a qualification, I’ve come here and I’ve gained experience. My attitude to things has improved, I have a different outlook on things. I’ve improved as a person.”

Her classmates were also incredibly supportive and consistently motivated her to do well.

She said, “The people at college – they are what makes it. The class I was part of are a great bunch of people. I’ll be sad to leave this place.”

Congratulations to Sky for achieving this amazing position and Exeter College wishes her all the best in the future.

You can find out more about our Foundation Diploma in Engineering here.