Luke’s prodigious achievements so early in his career – he is 26 – include gaining the senior position of Engineering Authority and recently becoming an Incorporated Engineer (IEng). He is a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy in a military post within the Merlin Project Team, which is part of the Defence Equipment and Support organisation (DE&S). He is currently based at AgustaWestland in Yeovil.
Luke’s desire to become an engineer was identified at an early age, within his family.
“As a child, I was always wondering how things work and I liked solving problems. My grandfather and uncle were both engineers and really inspired me. My parents were also very supportive of my constant desire to dismantle things and, despite having to work very hard at school, I knew I wanted to have a career in engineering.
Luke feels that engineering is intrinsic to our everyday lives, from concept to design, manufacture or operation in service of all kinds of equipment.
“It makes being an engineer so exciting: engineering is a part of everything! For that reason engineering offers a broad and diverse career that has something to offer for everyone in almost every sector.”
He believes passionately in following the path of professional registration with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and has recently taken part in training to become a STEM ambassador. Attending seminars and committing to continuing professional development (CPD) are fundamental, he says, to “keep the profession moving forward” – there are networking and developmental benefits to be gained from these events, too. He says,
“My IEng registration is something that I am proud of and am already working towards achieving CEng in the near future.”
“Gaining professional registration has always been an important milestone for me to accomplish during my engineering career. I wanted to apply as soon as I met the criteria for IEng as I think professional registration shows a commitment and drive to achieve the highest standards. I was delighted to find out I had been successful for IEng and found the interview to be a professionally rewarding and enjoyable experience.”
Luke adds,
“The Royal Navy is very good at recognising the value of professionally registered engineers and actively encourages people to apply for registration at EngTech, IEng and CEng level. I think that as a professionally registered engineer, it is important for me to set a good example and inspire others to conduct CPD activities, which will hopefully encourage them to seek professional registration for themselves.”
Luke grew up in Ivybridge, Devon and studied for a BEng in Aeronautics and Astronautics at the University of Southampton. Whilst at university he applied to join the Royal Navy as an Engineer Officer bursar through the Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme (DTUS). He comments,
“DTUS allowed me to study as a normal university student whilst gaining a valuable insight into engineering within the armed forces.”
After graduating in 2009 he joined Britannia Royal Naval College as an Air Engineer Officer candidate for his initial military training and was commissioned 28 weeks later. He joined HMS Ark Royal for a few months of embarked aviation training before joining HMS Sultan for his Systems Engineering Management Course.
Before joining the Merlin Project Team in November 2013, he was based at 702 Naval Air Squadron, Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton for two years. It was a time that he found incredibly stimulating and rewarding:
“I worked with some amazing people during my time there, both engineers and aircrew. As the Assistant Air Engineer Officer, I was responsible for managing the Squadron’s training and support departments. As the Deputy Air Engineer Officer, I was responsible for managing the maintenance plot for the Squadron’s 10 Lynx helicopters and directing the efforts of 120 maintainers to achieve the flying programme.”
He adds,
“I was also fortunate enough to take several aircraft to sea with a team of 25 maintainers for several weeks. Being given the responsibility, at 25 years old, to take two helicopters and 25 hard-working, highly capable Royal Navy maintainers away on a warship to conduct aviation at sea was an amazing experience.”
Luke says that, as an Engineer Officer in the Royal Navy, you are empowered from the moment you qualify to make important engineering decisions:
“I have had to draw on every bit of my civilian and military engineering training, knowledge and judgement to make safety critical decisions in high pressure environments. It can be quite daunting to think that everyone is looking to you to make a go or no-go decision, but that’s where the training comes in. You just have to remember the engineering principles; understand the problem, develop the solution, assess the risk, decide if the risk is tolerable, and then articulate your decision in a clear and concise way.”
While still a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, he is currently engaged in a military post within the Merlin Project Team (DE&S).
“I am working as Avionic Systems Engineering Authority for all 70 UK MoD Merlin Mk 1, 2, 3 and 3A. My job is to liaise with industry to ensure that all avionic equipment fitted to the UK MoD’s Merlins – from generators to windscreen wipers; weapon systems to aircraft management systems – is airworthy.”
His Letter of Airworthiness Authority empowers Luke to provide airworthiness advice and direction to both Royal Air Force and Royal Navy Merlin operators; helping them to achieve their tasking as safely and effectively as possible. As well as his responsibilities for continuing airworthiness, he also provides technical input into modifications, an aspect of his role that he finds particularly rewarding, as he has a stake in shaping the performance and refinement of future equipment.
Despite aiming high, and continually adding to his significant achievements and qualifications, Luke has his feet planted firmly on the ground. He considers it important that, at grass-roots level, those with a passion for engineering undertake their responsibility to inspire newcomers to the industry, particularly school children.
“Before gaining professional registration I assisted at an event, which showcased aspects of a career as an aircraft engineer. Now that I have had my Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) Ambassador induction, I am really looking forward to getting involved in promoting STEM subjects in schools. I can offer a lot in terms of my own recent experiences of school, university, starting work, and gaining professional registration. Hopefully I can share my passion for engineering and inspire others to consider engineering as a career option for their futures.”
He continues:
“Ultimately I want to help invest in the future of STEM careers in the UK and Royal Navy as it is an exciting place to be, but unfortunately there just aren’t enough people joining these vitally important professions at the moment. So I just want to try and do my bit to ‘sell’ engineering a bit more.”
Becoming Incorporated means a great deal to Luke and he is thoroughly committed to promoting the benefits of membership and professional registration with the Institution:
“I believe that being professionally registered goes hand-in-hand with being a professional engineer. Being EngTech, IEng or CEng is widely recognised and shows you have reached a certain standard. By becoming professionally registered you join a body of like-minded people who can help support and develop you personally and professionally.”
“I would highly recommend anyone who isn’t yet professionally registered to have a look at the UKSPEC competencies and see how many of them they can already tick off. I expect many people will be quite surprised! You may have a mentor at work who can help support your professional registration application, or the Institution can offer guidance and advice.”
Luke’s connection with the Institution, and his strong belief that engineers support their profession very well by engaging with its professional structure, leads him to conclude:
“I found my professional registration experience to be very positive. It has inspired me to get more involved in the Institution’s work and wider engineering community through outlets like STEM, and to put something back into an industry that I find so rewarding.”
A member of the Armed Forces and interested in professional registration? Visit: www.imeche.org/armedforces
Find out more about becoming a STEM Ambassador
Work towards professional registration with the Institution