Welding Technician
Lily is an apprentice Product Design and Development Technician at the Manufacturing Technology Centre
At the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), we help other businesses design or improve products and solve tricky manufacturing problems. I program robots, use laser welders and all sorts of other machines to build and test parts for things like cars, submarines, production lines, and even spacecraft!
The variety, it never gets boring. Every project is different, different companies, different machines, different challenges. Just when you think you’ve learnt everything, a new project shows up that teaches you something new. I love working out how to solve problems and seeing a big project come together.
If I was doing the same thing every day, I’d get bored. But here, the moment something starts to feel repetitive, the project ends, and you move on to the next one. You never stop learning.
Problem solving is a big part of what I do. Every weld, machine and robot is different, so I have to figure out what works and why. We don’t follow instructions, we test things ourselves and find out what works best.
Teamwork is also important. Everyone helps each other and explains things, they don’t just give you the answers, they help you understand so you can do it yourself. That’s helped me grow my confidence and independence.
My favourite tool is the handheld laser welder. It’s one of our newest bits of kit and it’s seriously cool. With just a flick of a switch, it can go from tacking pieces together to full-on welding to laser cleaning. It’s powerful, precise and easy to use – and it looks like something out of a sci-fi film. It makes you feel like a total pro.
I danced for 16 years, I did ballet, tap, jazz, everything really. These days, I’m really into darts. I play in two teams, a ladies’ team on Tuesdays and a mixed league on Fridays. I also do a lot of gym training and running. I’m preparing for some physical assessments right now, so that takes up quite a bit of time. But darts is my fun way to switch off and enjoy something totally different.
I was always active as a child, playing football, tennis, cricket and dancing. I also loved building things and can see now where that passion lead me, with the help of the Imagineering club too.
I’ve been chosen to speak in the Houses of Parliament and share my story about being an apprentice, for an event about women in manufacturing. It’s my first proper speech, so I’m nervous, but it’s exciting to be asked. It’s amazing to think I’ll be standing in Parliament, talking to people who make big decisions, and showing them what apprentices like me can do.
We work with loads of different industries, from rail to automotive, but we don’t make products, we manufacture parts of solutions which are only a part of these projects. And every project is different – sometimes we’re building massive metal parts, other times we’re testing new machines before they even hit the market.
The variety is huge. I could be working on robots, cladding, remanufacturing, or programming a welding robot to build something layer by layer. It’s all about coming up with new solutions to real-world problems.
I’m in the final year of my apprenticeship. Once I finish, I’d love to carry on working in research and development and keep learning about welding, robotics and advanced manufacturing. There’s always something new to explore here.
Fake the confidence! I nearly didn’t go for this apprenticeship because I didn’t think I could do it. I wish I’d believed in myself sooner. You don’t have to know everything – just be brave, take the chance and learn as you go.
Discover what qualifications you’ll need, how much you can earn, and what the next steps are.
