From Engineering Apprentice to Mechanical Engineer: Abby’s Story

Abby Broadbent began her engineering career with Black & White through the UK’s PlanBEE programme, an industry-led initiative which has recently received royal recognition through the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Education. Two years on she’s been promoted to Mechanical Engineer whilst continuing with her studies.

Life at Black & White as an engineering apprentice

While completing her apprenticeship and gaining hands-on experience within our data centre team, Abby has recently been promoted to Mechanical Engineer, continuing her journey from trainee to qualified engineer while contributing to major projects.

“I am still currently in my final year of my part time degree, while working full time. Black & White has supported my learning the whole way through my apprenticeship and the diversity of work offered has given me the freedom to gain experience within the company’s different sectors, learning from everyone across all levels. In my day to day work I enjoy collaborating with different teams, and the variety of work. I feel challenged and have been given the opportunity to use technical and creative skills to find solutions.”

A supportive global engineering team

“The culture at Black & White is very much working as one global team, where everyone supports each other and shares knowledge across different regions and specialisms. We have lots of meetings and collaboration sessions to discuss ideas and share knowledge across the company. I love how Black & White is a very social company that prioritises working relationships, creating a supportive and positive environment.”

Building technical engineering skills and confidence through real project work

“I have been developing skills in different aspects of mechanical engineering through project work and training courses. I have worked on several projects so far across multiple countries developing a mix of technical and soft skills presenting work to clients.”

Career progression at Black & White

“I am very pleased to have been promoted to Mechanical Engineer, and over the next few years hope to keep progressing to Senior following the Black & White development pathways. I feel that Black & White is so unique in that it genuinely invests in people’s development and gives you responsibility from the start. The culture is welcoming, supportive and motivating, I would recommend Black & White to anyone looking to start or grow their career with a great company.

Considering an Engineering Career?

Find out more about our graduate and apprentice programmes at Black & White engineering by heading to our careers page.

Copy article link and share