South Devon UTC students turn into engineers for the week

27th April 2018

 

Pictured: work experience students Alex Martin, 18, Charlie Ford, 18, Shaun Adams, 16, and George West, 17

 

Students from South Devon University Technology College (UTC) swapped textbooks for hard hats during their engineering based work experience with South West Water this week.

The eight pupils visited key sites like Tottiford Clean Water Treatment Works and Plymouth Central Sewage Treatment Works, before tackling 3D modelling tasks and presenting to a board of engineers.  

Charlie Ford, 18 from Newton Abbot, who will be joining the company as an apprentice in September, said: “My highlight was meeting lots of different engineers, all working in the same place but with different backgrounds.

“It was inspiring to meet people who started as apprentices in the company and now have lots of responsibility for key operations.”

Alex Martin, also 18, from Torquay, said: “I did my work experience here, as South West Water is a company I’m interested in working for. I really enjoyed writing a business plan, visiting sites and the variety of tasks assigned, like creating a rainwater collection tank.”

Bob Taylor, South West Water’s Drinking Water Services Operational Director, who sits on the board of directors at South Devon UTC, said: “Work experience help students explore what they enjoy and to develop key workplace skills for the future.

“We have a unique partnership with South Devon UTC. Their switched-on approach to gaining workplace skills is fantastic and we’ve recently recruited our first apprentices from the UTC partnership.

“We wish the pupils every success and it’s been a pleasure to have them onboard.”