From law to engineering: Apprentice Design Engineer Hannah Lee #NationalApprenticeshipWeek

​When I told everyone I was kind of doing law they were a bit like, are you joking me, that’s not what you’re interested in. It’s not what you’re good at. We know what we always thought you’d go towards and that is something in engineering, specifically aerospace.

Hannah Lee is an Apprentice Design Engineer at Morson Projects, working out of their Hull office. Despite showing an interest in aerospace engineering from early in life, her journey to an apprenticeship took her into a degree she wasn’t sure she wanted to do. For National Apprenticeship Week 2023, we spoke to Hannah about her journey.

At school I studied in A-Level maths, chemistry and 3D design. And at GCSE, the core subjects, design & technology, art, Latin and geography. On from A-Levels, I chose to do go through clearing to do a law degree and this wasn’t my first choice. I’d applied for various other universities for design subjects and product design and civil engineering. I had an unconditional offer, but my maths result wasn’t quite what I expected. So, I went through clearing to do law as I like a backup option.

Watch Hannah’s interview

​Despite making this decision, Hannah very quickly realised that this wasn’t what was meant for her and soon decided to make a big career change.

When I told everyone I was kind of doing law they were a bit like, are you joking me, that’s not what you’re interested in. It’s not what you’re good at. We know what we always thought you’d go towards and that is something in engineering, specifically aerospace. I did a year of that and it wasn’t really my cup of tea. Through school design technology was my strongest subject by far. I got a nine at GCSE and 3D design I got an A* at A-Level, so it’s definitely one of my strongest subjects. And one that I enjoy the most. However, my physics at GCSE, again I just very much base it off my grades, but it was a bit of a confidence knock, which is why I didn’t go for the aerospace and I went more towards civil and structural. I was looking for another job or another course to do, and I found this job here which I landed on my feet, really. I’ve always been interested in engineering and how things work.

Hannah found herself joining the Morson Projects Early Careers Development Programme. This programme was created by engineers, for engineers, designed to empower early careers employees to develop their skills and knowledge by utilising the existing pool of experience within the business. This includes tailored training plans, mentors, and collaboration with other engineers on the programme.

I went on the Early Careers Development Programme Day very early on into my career here. I’d only been here a month before. I went on the Early Careers Day, the annual event, and that was really good because I got to meet loads of older graduates, people in the same position as me, and it just opened up the whole business really. And you could see everything and the mentoring I’ve had, I’ve got my fourth session this week and that’s really good. Just to have a discussion outside of your day-to-day job and yeah, just have a discussion about how you think you’re getting and on get better guidance.

A day in the life of an apprentice

Working with client Leonardo, Hannah’s day starts early:

“I come in for about seven and on Leonardo’s I work on build line CRs, as part of a team. We’ve got people in Bristol, here and Yeovil, it’s build line CRs so I impact and implement CRs. So it’s looking at a change that is needed on the build line, looking at the best solution, whether their solution suggested is good enough and then making the changes to go forward with.”

Hannah demonstrates that even if you initially go down a different route with your education, it’s still possible to get to where you want to be thanks to the ability to ‘earn while you learn’ through an apprenticeship.

You’ve got to go with your interests. Like, if you’re not interested, I don’t think it’s for you. And if you are interested and you’re not confident that you can do it, I’d still go for it. For me, it was very much my confidence. I didn’t think I’d be capable of it, but if you enjoy it, I think you can do anything as long as you enjoy it and you can put your mind to it. I think if it’s something you are really interested in and you’re excited about it and you can see yourself doing it every day, then just go for it. Don’t go for something that you would not want to sit and do it for hours. It’s not worth it.

Creating sustainable talent pipelines and ensuring people from all walks of life can harness the best opportunities a commitment we take very seriously.

Internally we prioritise the training and development of our people and our communities. Our apprenticeship programme has had numerous success stories, addressing the growing skills gap and tackling youth unemployment. Find out more here

To find out more about the Morson Projects Early Careers Development Programme, click here