My career journey to an engineer in tech

Many employers will be familiar with challenges around recruiting talent with the right skills for their business. Skills like digital and technical qualities in particular, are increasingly sought after. With the high demand for people with the right skillsets across the tech industry, employers are looking to education opportunities to nurture a workforce that meets their business needs. More than two in five businesses (43%) say they plan to invest in building digital skills within their company, according to a recent Department for Education poll of SMEs.

By upskilling existing employees and bringing in bright, entry level people of all ages who are eager to gain experience in their chosen field, businesses are able to plug gaps and create a pipeline of talent with the skills they need. From HTQs to Apprenticeships, the opportunities for businesses to tap into future talent is increasing, and the benefits are aplenty. These benefits include allowing businesses to build a team with important and specialist skills which are tricky to recruit for, and nurturing new recruits, providing them with a solid foundation to grow from.

Sophie (32), who works as a DevOps Engineer at Lloyds Banking Group, reached her position through taking on an apprenticeship and is now thriving in her career as a tech engineer.

My background

After finishing school, I attended university to study Film Studies before travelling and working in retail roles for a couple of years. During that time, I decided I wanted to explore something new and start climbing the career ladder, so I applied for a graduate scheme at Lloyds Banking Group. After completing the scheme, I joined the Chief Technology Office Skills and Community team, where I had the chance to do some coding for the first time. Upon doing so, I realised I have a real passion for engineering but didn’t at the time have the right skills to get into the field. Wanting to expand my skills further I decided to research apprenticeships at my company and saw they had advertised an apprenticeship role as a DevOps Engineer (Level 4 - DevOps Engineer Apprenticeship). After applying for it, I was surprised to see that despite not coming from an engineering background, they welcomed my application and I later secured a role on the programme.

I decided to make the jump into technology for two main reasons – firstly to futureproof my career, as this growing industry increasingly plays a big part in all our lives and so it feels like a secure industry to work in. And secondly to embark on a new learning journey into a sector that is full of exciting opportunities to grow and develop.

From upgrading containerised applications to investigating new ways we can improve our platform offering for internal customers, my role is very varied and keeps me on my toes. I love to learn, and my role continues to provide me with the opportunity to do so every day. I now realise my initial reservations about needing to come from an engineering background were unfounded - I have been able to thrive in my role as an apprentice and my employer has enhanced this by providing a safe and supportive space for me to learn.

About Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are for adults of all ages and run for a minimum of 12 months. Apprentices don’t always have to be new recruits and may instead be existing employees who wish to reskill or upskill. The training provided is moulded to deliver the skills the business needs – making them impactful for both the business and the employee who wishes to progress in the company. In 2021/22 47% of apprenticeships started in England were by people aged 25+, according to government data. This is because the benefits of an apprenticeship appeals to a mix of people, from school leavers to those looking to change career or industry, like me. There is significant industrywide need for digital skills – last year UK tech had 8.5 million vacancies. Meeting the demand through education routes is becoming increasingly attractive - the government’s Skills Horizon Barometer found that over a quarter of UK tech SMEs (26%) are seeking to address this demand for talent by hiring from broad education routes such as apprentices and T Levels students.

A rewarding choice

I’m really pleased that I made the decision to pursue a career in engineering and tech, as there are so many opportunities that I’m able to continue to evolve and learn every day. Obviously, it’s quite a different field to my studies and early career, but the apprenticeship scheme has helped me transfer those skills and learn new ones. In the future I hope to continue upskilling and will consider studying for more certifications to unlock new skills within my role. I’m thankful for the numerous options available to me – none of which would be possible without my apprenticeship.

For employers that are keen on helping people make a career change, whether inside or outside of the business, I’d recommend checking out the DfE Skills for Life site. It's a really helpful platform that gives you easy access to schemes, such as apprentices, that can help business’ upskill staff. There are also a range of financial incentives available to ensure businesses can offer the best experience for those they hire or upskill via these schemes. If you’re looking to become an apprentice yourself, you can find more information here.