Name: Alexia Williams   Employer: Rolls-Royce PLC   Apprenticeship: Through-life engineering Services Specialist Master’s Degree  Training Provider: Cranfield University  

Alexia Williams, aged 24, chose to live with her parents at the start of her apprenticeship, which allowed her to save up her deposit and buy her first house at a remarkably young age. She said: “I decided to stay at home because I only live half an hour away from where I work. It allowed me to save, and I bought my first house aged 20 at the end my second year as an apprentice.”  

She recalls being “pretty academic at school” and in the top sets for most subjects - but she was always more interested in doing a degree apprenticeship than going down the traditional academic route. “I didn’t even apply to university, I was only interested in apprenticeships,” she said. “It started when I was in Year 9, I went to the Bath and West show and they had an Imagineering Fair trying to get more children into STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths). I remember speaking to an inspiring aerospace engineering company’s apprentice – I liked design technology, maths and the sciences and it seemed natural to me from that point to think of learning as something you do through work. The apprentice I spoke to was two years ahead in their career than the individuals on the graduate scheme.”  

The idea of debt-free training also appealed. “It seemed obvious that I would be better off getting paid a salary, while building up work experience,” she said.  

Alexia would be delighted if her story inspired other women to embark on careers in engineering. “I like the thought of being a bit of a guinea pig, maybe a trailblazer,” she said. “At Rolls Royce, the number of women has been steadily increasing and they are getting increasingly closer to 50/50 representation”.