Former Hope Academy pupil Estreja started at Warrington & Vale Royal College as a Level 3 Advanced Manufacturing Engineering student and completed an industry placement in Nuclear Engineering at Sellafield as part of her course, allowing her to gain valuable workplace skills. This gave her insight into what working in the industry looked like and prepared her for her role after college.
After 2 years of hard work and determination, Estreja has progressed onto an apprenticeship with Johnsons Controls as a Global Marine & Navy Mechanical Design Engineer Apprentice. She works on various sites across the whole of Europe and loves getting to travel to see her designs in person. Estreja is currently designing water sprinkler systems for the Spanish Military, and says her favourite thing about her role is knowing that she has an impact on the world around her.
As a practical learner, Estreja knew she wanted a hands-on job and felt A Levels would not provide her with the experience she wanted. Therefore, she chose to study the Level 3 Advanced Manufacturing Engineering course at Warrington & Vale Royal College as this allowed her to apply her knowledge to practical projects as opposed to solely learning the theory of the subject in a classroom.
Estreja loved her time on her Level 3 course, saying: “My course was very broad and covered all aspects of engineering, making it the perfect opportunity to learn more about the different routes within the industry. Getting a feel for all the different areas meant allowed me to choose the best option to specialise in for my future career.
As well as the extensive machinery and investment in high end software that the college provided, the opportunity to complete work placement alongside my course was extremely beneficial and gave me an idea of what working in industry would really be like.”
Estreja says her tutors also had a huge impact on her time at college and her future. “I don’t think I could have got to where I am today without the support of my tutors. They were truly passionate about their roles and the industry. Their eagerness and excitement about the industry rubbed off on me and inspired me to push myself. I am forever grateful for the amount of encouragement they showed me. They all rooted for my success and, despite this being a male-dominated industry, they knew I could make it. They never doubted me for a second”
The college has a variety of engineering courses on offer, specialising in different areas including manufacturing, mechanical, electronic and construction engineering. Find out more about the courses on offer here: https://wvr.ac.uk/subject-areas/engineering
or join us at one our remaining Open Evenings at Warrington or Winsford campus, where you can explore our Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering Academy or Warrington's Construction & Civil Engineering Academy (brand new for 2024)!
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