Articles
Lynsey McKee, a 21-year-old trainee design engineer with Doosan Babcock, has been named Apprentice of the Year by the IMechE. She talks to Lee Hibbert about her rapid progress to date.
Why did you choose to pursue an engineering apprenticeship?
Initially I thought I wanted to be an architect, as I knew so little about engineering, having received no careers advice at school. But the more I looked into it, the more I realised it interested me. I had always been intrigued by how things worked and how they could be modelled. From that I realised that mechanical engineering would suit me best, especially as it is such a broad subject area.
How did that interest feed into your academic choices?
For my Standard Grades, I did physics, maths and graphics in preparation for draughting work. Most young girls tend to go for biology when it comes to the sciences, but I knew that physics was crucial to what I wanted to do. I found graphics quite easy. Physics was more difficult. It is quite a hard subject to learn. But I stuck at it and got there in the end.
I did the same subjects for Highers, and actually applied for university – but only as a back-up. I knew I wanted to do an apprenticeship. I liked the idea of working and earning a wage, and acquiring knowledge at the same time. If I had gone to university for four years I wouldn’t have had any work experience.
How did you end up at Doosan Babcock?
A friend’s son had signed up for an apprenticeship there and he forwarded the application form on to me. I didn’t realise what the company did – I thought it was more of a manufacturer. But it has a big design department and that’s what I was interested in doing. Doosan is also a global company with a good reputation for the quality of training it offers.
What are your day-to-day responsibilities?
Mainly drawing up designs for coal and biomass burners in power stations. I’ve been working mainly on the combustion side. That work is done using 2D and 3D software from companies such as AutoCAD and Catia. I enjoy working in 3D – it looks great on the screen and the visual nature of the drawings makes it easier to speak to colleagues who don’t come from a design background. Doosan invests a lot of trust in its apprentices. I’m actually making real design decisions, under supervision, which shows how far I have progressed. I am now qualified as an apprentice CAD technologist, which was awarded by the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board.
How have you found working with older, more experienced engineers?
All of my colleagues have been brilliant. Every apprentice gets a mentor and mine has been with the company for 30 years. There is a tremendous amount of knowledge in the design office and everyone is really helpful. Mentoring is not just about answering questions, though. My colleagues have also been great when it comes to listening to any ideas that I have. They have all been very easy to work with, and are very open-minded.
How do you see your career progressing?
I am juggling my day job alongside college work, as I am studying towards a four-year honours degree in mechanical and electronic engineering systems at Glasgow Caledonian University. I study one day a week, and it’s a long day, from 8am to 8.30pm. I am one of only two girls in the class but I’m used to that. I have just started my second year and I am enjoying it. Doosan has been totally supportive.
And where do you see yourself going within Doosan?
I would like to end up in a design engineering role, and eventually achieve chartered engineer status. We have a development centre here and the engineers are doing really interesting work on power station emissions. That is an exciting area. Doosan also sends a lot of people to work abroad. So if the right opportunity came up, and it was at the right stage in my life, that is also something I would consider.
You are now something of a role model, having been named Apprentice of the Year. What would you say to other youngsters thinking of taking a similar route into the profession?
I would say ‘go for it’. Some people are happy going to university – and that’s fine. But as an apprentice you get paid to learn. I love having a full-time job and the support that Doosan provides me. The government is really pushing apprenticeships, so I think they will continue to be very popular.