Combining work and study to build an engineering career

Working full-time at Dynamic Load Monitoring UK Ltd (DLM) while studying at Southampton Solent University, Liam is developing his engineering knowledge and putting it straight into practice.

Having completed his first year, Liam says combining his studies at Solent with his work at DLM has strengthened his understanding and confidence as an engineer: "Building a basic knowledge of it at Solent and now being able to tie it into what we do here was a massive help."

After finishing year eleven in 2022, Liam contacted the Nursling-based company specialising in load monitoring and cable working equipment, to ask about work experience.

“At the end of the two weeks (work experience), DLM Approached me about working part-time while I was at college.” When Liam finished college, DLM offered him a degree apprenticeship, a route made possible through the company's existing links with Solent.

Carly Collins, Performance and People Director at DLM said: “At DLM, we believe some of the best development happens when learning and practical experience go hand in hand. Liam is a great example of that. He first joined us for work experience, progressed to working with us alongside college, and is now completing his degree apprenticeship while continuing to develop his career at DLM.

It’s been really rewarding to see his confidence, knowledge and responsibilities grow. Degree apprenticeships give us the opportunity to invest in talented people early in their careers, while giving them the chance to apply what they are learning directly within a real engineering environment.”

One of the areas Liam has already started developing at work is PLC systems, a subject he was not expecting to study until later in his degree. “I've been starting to do some work on PLC systems, which I find very helpful, very fun. I think it's going to be good that I can use something I've learned at work and apply it to my studies.”

The combination of academic study and practical experience is a key part of Liam's apprenticeship, allowing him to apply what he learns at university directly to his work. Liam says the balance between academic theory and hands-on practice is what makes the course work for him.

“I learn best during the practical, by doing the theory and then tying it over the lab lessons,” he says, adding that his lecturers have been quick to help whenever he has needed support outside term time.

For Liam, the biggest advantage of a degree apprenticeship over a traditional degree is the opportunity to learn in industry and in the classroom at the same time. “I've got the engineers at work to help me tie it into industry,” he says.

“I can learn it at university and then they're helping me properly embed it into what we do at work and understand it from a different perspective.”

You can find out more about Solent's career ready approach to apprenticeships or search our course directory for the full range of apprenticeship courses.