Maddi is now in her second year of her apprenticeship which takes place at First Bus’ Bridgwater depot and Reaseheath college in Cheshire. The apprenticeship has allowed her to learn essential hand skills and basic diagnostics, to become a qualified bus engineer.
Beginning her career in a sector that is predominantly populated by males - just 16.5% of engineers in the UK are female - Maddi now wants to encourage other women to apply for engineering apprenticeships.
Maddi commented: “As a young woman, I was really nervous to begin my apprenticeship as I didn’t know what to expect, especially when it came to the environment within the workshop. However, First Bus has ensured that it’s a really inclusive and welcoming environment and it felt like everyone was on a level playing field from the offset.
“Although engineering is a career that has always been typically associated with males, if it’s really what you want to do, that shouldn’t stop you. I have always enjoyed working with my hands and wanted to do something practical, so it felt like a natural path for me. I would really encourage any other young women who feel the same to think about applying for an engineering apprenticeship – your gender or other people’s perceived bias shouldn’t stop you!”
When it comes to the future of engineering, Maddi is particularly excited about what this means for the transport industry, and the role that she can play in that journey as an apprentice.
Maddi said: “Working with buses is a really interesting place to be right now, and the technology is constantly evolving. For example, First Bus now has a huge fleet of electric and hybrid buses as part of its decarbonisation strategy. It’s exciting to think that the other apprentices and myself are helping one of the country’s largest operators become a leader in low-carbon transport. As part of this, apprentices get to learn how to work with these hybrid and electric models as well as the more ‘old school’ diesel buses. Learning and working with new technology as it is rolled out across the business means that I am able to develop my skills alongside it, meaning that I am always up to date with the new tech too!
“Naturally, the new technology means that our roles as engineers and the skills we need to have will keep changing. However, First Bus is helping us with this by ensuring that we are multi-skilled. We aren’t funnelled into a specific type of engineering like mechanical or electrical, meaning that we are more well-rounded and can cover more bases. This also means that there’s so much variation day-to-day, which I love about the role!
“I think that many people are worried about the impact new technologies will have on the engineering sector when it comes to jobs and skills, but it’s important to remember that with engineering there is a very human and intuitive process of finding problems and fixing them, which I think will always be the case. Communicating and working together with other people, including my fellow apprentices, is also a fundamental part of the job.
“If anything, the change in technology will help us evolve and give us more skills to use well into the future – I can’t wait to see where it leads us.”
Maddi is due to finish her apprenticeship next summer and hopes to continue her career at First Bus as a bus engineer.
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