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Meet Electromechanical Degree Apprentice James, who is based in our Bristol office. In his everyday role, he gets to explore the high-tech meeting of electrical and mechanical engineering, learning hands-on as he works on real-world projects. As a degree apprentice, he also earns a degree while being paid. Here, in his blog, James describes A Day in the Life of an Early Careers Professional:

Early start (early finish!)

At AtkinsRéalis, it's up to you when you start as long as you complete your hours. So, I choose to come into the office at 8 am. Living close to the Bristol office, an early start works well for me. People with families or those living further away tend to arrive later in the day. Once I've set up my IT, I spend the morning answering emails and Teams' messages.

I'm trusted to innovate

Now, it's time to start my project work. I'm currently working on a damage tolerance project analyzing how a crack would grow in an electric airplane motor structure. Although I'm an apprentice, I have a lot of responsibility within the project, like working independently on a calculation file that sets up the analysis of the part.

Supported to thrive

Working in the office allows me to approach my project lead with any questions during the day. I'll also take time throughout the day to have short breaks from my project work to catch up with my colleagues and stretch my legs.

Sociable work culture

12 pm means only one thing—LUNCH. I head down to the canteen with my fellow apprentices and grads to grab a bite. Today's sunny, so we also head out for a walk and some fresh air.

Vibrant early careers community

I'll ease myself back into work by completing some of my non-productive tasks. I'm part of the Early Careers Forum's outreach stream, looking at how to increase attraction to our internal early careers roles. Today's task is updating the ADS&T early careers dashboard you might've used to find this blog. The Early Careers Forum is a great way for our early careers community to find opportunities with more creative freedom. Once I've updated the dashboard, I go back to my project work.

Flexible working culture

Today, I spend the rest of the day updating my spreadsheet to prepare for the analysis I'll be completing tomorrow. My typical day ends around 4 pm, but any extra time I work during the week means an earlier finish on Friday!

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