Meet Rachel who is studying at University of Bristol

Rachel is an UKESF Scholar and is sponsored by Altran, a global leader in engineering and R&D services, offering clients a new way to innovate by developing the products and services of tomorrow.

What appeals to you about Electronics?

Becoming an engineer was always something I had in mind growing up. The first time I ever gave Electronics much thought was when I was choosing my A-Levels. Up to this time I had always been disappointed with the lack of opportunity to learn something more hands-on. When I saw the current students breadboard projects at the open days of my local colleges, I saw the real world applications of the years of Maths I had learnt. I enrolled in the course and found that it was a subject that I felt I could pursue as a career.

What type of work have you been involved with during your placement?

At Altran, I have been working on a team to reduce the cost of designing and implementing new high integrity systems. My confidence as a programmer has been low the past year due to my computer science modules being mostly theory. The placement has given me the chance to get some valuable experience and build my confidence. I learnt key work experience skills that I wasn’t being taught at university, such as software development management. On the team, I was put in charge of document generation, which required me to learn some new skills including a new language (Epsilon Object Language) for model to text transformation.

What are your interests outside of work?

I spent my summer weekends either competing in the Quidditch Premier League for South West Broadside, or going on long bike rides. It was great fun coming in at 5th place in the Quidditch championships when we were predicted to be 10th. As a keen cyclist I enjoyed joining work colleagues at Altran on an evening bike ride and pub dinner most weeks.