Ewan Thomson is building a bright future in the infrastructure sector thanks to an apprenticeship.

And the 23-year-old, who was named Apprentice of the Year at the recent Consultancy and Engineering Awards, says it’s a route that has put him on course to achieving his ambitions personally and professionally.

The spotlight is on apprentices and skills this week thanks to National Apprenticeship Week – which runs until February 16 and aims to celebrate the value and benefit of work-based learning.

Thomson joined Tony Gee and Partners in 2017 at the age of 16 as an engineering apprentice. He has continued to thrive, progressing to be a BIM (building information modelling) designer and railway engineer. 

A keen interest in the rail sector, he has been involved with the TransPennine route upgrade project since 2018 as well as a range of railway design projects. 

And he continues to champion STEM careers, offering guidance and inspiration to others including mentoring work experience students, attending careers events and even fundraising to take his knowledge and skills overseas to a remote village in Rwanda to build a footbridge for a community in dire need of reliable infrastructure. 

“I wasn’t suited to the typical education route of A Levels and then university,” he explained.

“Uni never appealed to me, and I was ready to move on from the confines of a classroom.

“I wanted to learn practically, learning design and construction at the source. I was too interested and eager to start my career. I was excited to learn the works of this industry from the inside and not from a lecture hall.”

Thomson began his Civil Engineering Level 3 apprenticeship at engineering consultants Tony Gee and Partners’ Gloucestershire offices.

He’s now a Level 6 Degree Apprentice, in the fourth of a five year degree programme where he studies one day a week at the University of the West of England in Bristol. He also has his sights set on achieving IEng qualification.

“The most enjoyable part of my apprenticeship is the sense of fulfilment,” he added.

“Just because you are an apprentice does not mean your potential and responsibility is limited. I am named as a designer on a couple of our track design projects.

“With every element of design work completed, every site visit or day of charity work, I always feel a sense of fulfilment and consistently enjoy the exposure and opportunities presented to me.”

While there are many options for school leavers post-16, Thomson feels the apprenticeship route has also given him a “head start”.

“While I started my degree as most of my friends were finishing theirs, the difference in career prospects is notable.

“Many friends I know are just starting out in progressive careers whereas I started at 16. I am coming up to eight years with Tony Gee with no intentions of leaving. I believe this apprenticeship and career route has positively shaped my understanding of career prospects and the importance of direction.

“I also believe my direction and defined career path contributed to my early success and establishment of a lifelong career.”

Tony Gee currently employs more than 550 staff – with 46 of these being apprentices. Twenty of those are working towards degrees on Level 6 programmes.

But as well as shaping future careers, Thomson says an apprenticeship has also helped him personally and socially, boosting his confidence and enabling him to spread the message about STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) learning, apprenticeships and careers in the infrastructure sector.

“I think there’s still work to be done to get young people – and importantly parents – to understand the benefits of apprenticeships,” he added.

“A Levels and university are somethings seen as the obvious route. But it’s not for everyone and wasn’t for me.

“A degree apprenticeship still gives me that qualification, but importantly once I’ve completed my course, I’ll have almost 10 years of industry experience as well.

“I would absolutely recommend an apprenticeship to others.”

He added: “Tony Gee and Partners is a fantastic company.  Within weeks I can remember working on live projects.

“Tony Gee is extremely good at catering your workload to your needs and current progression.

“Early on I demonstrated eagerness to learn and expressed desire to work within rail projects. My responsibility started to develop within BIM and within a couple’s years I was responsible for multiple drawings models and simply left to work by myself with confidence that I would produce results.”

And Thomson’s achievements go beyond his day-to-day work.

“From becoming an active Tony Gee charity representative, to traveling to remote Rwanda to build a footbridge for an isolate community in need,” he added.

“Plus working on live railway carrying out track inspections, to traveling the country, networking and meeting new people and attending school as a guest speaker and STEM ambassador, potentially inspiring students into a career in civils. All before the age of 24.”

Thomson’s passion for learning, career progression and inspiring others earned him praise from the judges at the recent Consultancy and Engineering Awards – organised by ACE, the Association for Consultancy and Engineering.

“Winning Apprentice of the Year with ACE is possibly my career highlight,” said Thomson.

“To have my name announced and have my contribution and passion recognised by an association such as ACE is truly incredible.

“It reinforced that I am fulfilling my goals as a young engineer and positively contributing to this fantastic sector.”

He added: “This apprenticeship has shaped who I am today, both personally and professionally. Providing opportunity and achievement I never thought was possible, while teaching me how to operate in a mature adult environment, positively impacting my own personal development and social skills.

“Aside from progressive wages and no debt, this apprenticeship has allowed me to progress my experience and knowledge far beyond what I originally expected.”