UTC Portsmouth was delighted to welcome one of our valued Employer Partners, Waterman Aspen, for an engaging session with our Year 12 students on the opportunities available through degree apprenticeships after sixth form.
The visit was particularly special as it was led by two UTC Portsmouth alumni, Aleksander Sokov and Rebecca Edwards. Both Aleksander and Rebecca are now thriving as apprentices with Waterman Aspen, and they returned to share their personal journeys - from their time at UTC Portsmouth to their current roles in industry. Their stories offered students a first-hand perspective on what it’s like to balance university-level study with hands-on professional experience.
The visit also marked an exciting step in our project pipeline within the timetabled Training curriculum. As part of their ongoing work, Waterman Aspen has set our Year 12 students a real-world challenge: to design an engineered solution for pedestrian bridge access along Portsmouth’s Eastern Road. This session provided the perfect opportunity for students to ask questions, gain expert insight, and deepen their understanding of engineering concepts relevant to their project.
Industry engagements like these are at the heart of our Training programme at UTC Portsmouth. By connecting classroom learning with professional practice, our students gain a stronger appreciation of how their STEM skills can be applied in the workplace - and a clearer vision of the career pathways available to them.
