Meet the Portsmouth engineer apprentices in passionate about keeping Royal Navy "at sea and safe"
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Talented apprentices are hard at work in Portsmouth keeping the Royal Navy “at sea and safe”.
The Portsmouth area has been a hotbed for talent in the defence sector for several years. Young engineers are taking on apprenticeships with QinetiQ at Portsdown Technology Park, assigned to testing and maintaining vital combat systems.
Senior programme manager Rachael Pickwell, in charge of QinetiQ’s Naval Combat System Integration Support Service team, said young apprentices and graduates need to continually nurtured and trained to protect our national security.
She told The News: “Without them, we don’t have a pipeline of talent, and without that, we can’t keep the Royal Navy platforms at sea. The ships wouldn’t go to sea otherwise. We know that they go to sea and they’re safe.” She added: “We want to use local talent and bring them into the organisation to keep delivering for the Royal Navy.”
Meet the apprentices
Working at the £30m National Maritime Systems Centre (NMSC), high-skilled workers independently test Royal Navy combat systems and other mechanical components that are used on warships. Paul and George are right in the thick of this work, having secured apprenticeships through their T Level mechanical engineering course at UTC Portsmouth in London Road, Hilsea, after impressing on placements.
Branded Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) ambassadors, both them landed roles after what was described as an on-the-job two-year interview. George, 18, said he regularly tests sensors for radars, makes reports for various systems, and maintenance on communication equipment. He believes his placement set him up for the role, and he’s keen on supporting the Royal Navy.
“There was a time where I wanted to join the Royal Navy,” he said. “It slowly went away, but being introduced to QinetiQ brought it back. I’ve learnt more and more about how they support the force. I originally wanted to get into Formula One and motorsport, but QinetiQ brought me back in.”
Paul, 19, works in the Strategic Infrastructure team. He makes sure the command systems work efficiently and developing tools to speed up the testing process. “With some of the new ships coming out, the updates are coming out faster,” he added.
“We need to speed up our testing. I’m helping develop tools using various different software, and doing research tasks. I’ve learnt a lot of skills and it has been more varied and interesting than I thought it would be. My family are all engineers, so it was always the route I was looking to go down. I always wanted to be in the defence industry. I was thinking of joining the Royal Navy for quite a while, but then I got the placement and joined QinetiQ instead.”
“They work with us”
Much of this vital work isn’t limited to Portsdown Technology Park. Poppy, 17, is an apprentice instrumentation engineer based at Haslar Marine Technology Park in Gosport. She’s studying Level 2 in Marine Defence Engineering at the Centre of Excellence in Engineering, Manufacturing and Advanced Skills Training (CEMAST), Lee-on-the-Solent.
She tests electrical instruments on models to make sure they can be fitted to ships or submarines. “Growing up in the area meant I have always been around the Navy and wanted to do something maritime-related,” she said.
“I’m involved with the Royal Navy Volunteer Cadet Corps which gives me a great understanding of how the Navy works. I enjoy being hands on and learning about electronics. I used to help my dad build electrical harnesses and connectors for different systems. It was cool to think that some wires and solder could make a light work or a motor turn.”
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The government is investing millions of pounds into finding the next-generation of people for the defence industry. They launched a £182m to create five defence technical excellence colleges, with bidding currently open. A further £80m is being invested into university placements and facilities, funding degrees such as mechanical engineering and computer science. Greater focus is being put on apprenticeships through schemes such as national apprenticeship week.
Ms Pickwell said the QinetiQ allows people to support the Royal Navy through their engineering skills. “ They’re with us in our office and we work alongside them,” she added. “We have a variety of roles here and support several defence-focused activities.”
She describes Portsmouth as a hotbed for new talent. “I can sense that with the engagement from the schools,” Ms Pickwell added. “We have to work together to make sure what they’re delivering in education leads them to destinations that are available, and defence is a huge one. An apprenticeship is a fantastic route. George and Paul are great examples.”