Training future talent through apprenticeships is a huge part of Marshall Centre's history, with more than 100 years’ experience and expertise, we have many unique apprentice journeys to share. We caught up with Engineering Design Degree Apprentice, Emily Argyrou, who started in Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group’s 2019 cohort and has already experienced some amazing achievements in her career.
Emily always thought she wanted to go to university but after careful consideration and stumbling across Marshall Centre’s apprenticeship scheme, she soon changed her mind.
“My school never talked about apprenticeships, so I never really thought of them as an option for me. It wasn’t until later when I researched and found out about Marshall. It had a family feel, which I liked, so I applied and when I was accepted, I fled the nest from North London to Cambridge.”
There were only two girls in their cohort of 27, which may seem intimidating for some, but Emily described everyone as welcoming and approachable. They all got to know each other and bonded by playing football at lunchtime. She loved the variety of the curriculum, couldn’t wait to work with the instructors and get stuck into using the tools in the workshop.
Her proudest moment was her final project in the workshop where she made a breadbin. They had eight weeks to utilise everything they learnt, from the math to ensure that the metal was bent into the correct shape to following the design brief to ensure that they delivered a product that was in scope.
“I had absolutely no background experience in metal work and I was so happy that I was able to do this by myself. I remember taking it home to show my parents, it is now a souvenir to how hard I worked to make the perfect product and it really boosted my confidence.”
Emily has fond memories of some of the funnier moments in the workshop. She always felt cold, even when everyone else felt warm, so it was a running joke throughout the workshop that she deserved a Marshall branded fleece to warm her up. She has yet to receive one but is still hopefully…
Emily was involved in an exciting project with Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group when they hosted the virtual Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT).
“It was an amazing opportunity to meet so many different people around the business as we had been in lockdown and I moved back to North London. The whole production was so professional, and I remember there were so many cameras, which made me very nervous, but I had a great day and everything went smoothly.”
Emily is in her 2nd year of her 4-year apprenticeship and is currently rotating around different engineering departments to gain experience and form an idea of what she would like to settle into when the apprenticeship comes to an end.
“I’m currently unsure exactly what department I’d like to end up in so am treating each rotation with an open mind and readiness to learn and develop”.
Emily also featured in our International Women’s Day blog.
Thank you to Emily for sharing her experience with us… again!
Find out more about our world-class apprenticeship programme.