VIEWS & OPINION
I became an engineer to turn my passions into real-world solutions
Comment by RUQAYYAH GIRACH, Engineering Apprentice, Renishaw
Apprenticeships are a popular route into an engineering career, with Engineering UK reporting that 95,600 people in the UK started an engineering related scheme in the 2022/23 academic year. Being able to immediately apply theoretical knowledge to an industrial setting as part of an apprenticeship programme is a great way to enter the industry, particularly if you’re still exploring where you want to specialise.
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.
Ofsted’s report shows a de-prioritisation of RE in schools – this has to change
Comment by SANJEEV BAGA, CEO, Jigsaw Education Group
The findings from Ofsted that a significant number of English schools are failing to meet the legal requirement of teaching Religious Education will not come as a surprise to those who are embedded in teaching the subject. Ten years ago, Ofsted’s previous report on RE, ‘Religious education: realising the potential’ was published and it is deeply concerning that no significant improvements have been made in that time.
This speaks to an overall de- prioritisation of RE by UK schools which
can in part be attributed to the abnormal model for provision. The DfE model for individual schools to locally plan, organise, and deliver religious education, designed to reflect the communities they serve, is an approach to curriculum provision which doesn’t exist in any other subject in UK schools. While rooted optimistically in inclusivity, current RE provision, supported by SACREs, has been found to be a postcode lottery in quality
May 2024
and overbearing in the sheer quantity of materials required to deliver the core subject content. Ultimately, schools are faced with a legacy of poor subject and pedagogical knowledge, inadequate training and most importantly a lack of clarity about RE content that means that lessons are poorly constructed, poorly implemented and poorly learned. The Ofsted report is cause for concern of RE provision in the UK and all actors within the RE space must take this report as an opportunity to ensure that in the next ten years, we are not in the same position. This can be achieved if the emphasis is placed on in-school training and increasing the profile of the subject within the education sector. The improvement process can also be accelerated with the promotion of quality materials designed to not only enhance standards, but also help children to understand the subject in a wider context as part of a whole child and whole school approach.
The upcoming publication of the National Content Standards by the RE Council (scheduled for publication in May) will be a forward step in changing direction of RE provision for future generations, also protecting and enforcing quality standards needs to be a priority for future governments to buck the trend of decline that is being seen.
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