Employee perspectives - Ruqayyah Girach

I'm an engineer to turn my passions into real-world solutions.

Here Ruqayyah Girach, Engineering Apprentice at Renishaw, shares her experiences from the first year of her apprenticeship and explains why Renishaw was the right choice to kickstart her career.

I've always been interested in activities that require creativity or problem-solving skills. As a child, I remember my dad buying me different kits, on everything from origami to software writing, to work on in my spare time. While at school, I participated in extracurricular activities to develop my skills, such as taking part in an F1 in Schools project to build a small race car.

When looking at how I could make my passion for creativity into a career, I signed up for a school visit to Renishaw. After visiting the New Mills headquarters in Gloucestershire to hear about the company and try a range of hands-on activities, I knew I wanted to get involved myself.

Why an apprenticeship?

While I knew engineering would be a rewarding and enjoyable career for me, at first I wasn't sure what type of engineer I'd like to be. Luckily, apprenticeships at Renishaw give you the freedom to try different things, by working on placements in a range of departments to apply your academic learning to a variety of applications.

My current placement in the process improvement engineering team, for example, requires problem solving to troubleshoot issues with machinery. We're currently working on a production system that has a recurring problem. The team has encouraged me to take the lead on the project, which I've been working on by trialling different ways to find a solution, and it's great that I get this level of hands-on experience so early in my career.

Just from my first year on placement it's clear to see that apprenticeships are a great way to get into the industry — engineering apprentices can gain countless skills, from analytical problem-solving to practical tasks like soldering. This means I have an opportunity to get a feel for the role while deciding on what I want to specialise in long-term. I'm already interested in 3D printing in my spare time, and I'm looking forward to working in the additive manufacturing department in the future, as Renishaw makes machines that print metal parts.

Being a forward-thinking engineering business requires a great team of problem solvers that support one another, and it'd be great to see more young people join the industry to be a part of our team. I think preconceptions about the industry might put people off, but many of them are not true. I had visited Renishaw before starting my apprenticeship, but I still had preconceptions, mainly that I'd be one of the only women in the team. In reality, the current team I work in is about 50 per cent women and it's a fantastic environment.

In my opinion, apprenticeships are a win-win scenario. Employers can find the skills they're looking for by training engineers as they study. By balancing support and practical training during the qualification with the ability to experience and resolve issues on the workshop floor, I've been able to become a confident and independent engineer in months. I'm excited to see what else I can gain from my apprenticeship.