Megan Jones - GA BEng (Hons) Engineering: Design and Manufacture

Megan Jones’ walk across The Music Hall stage marks not only the completion of her Graduate Apprenticeship (GA) BEng (Hons) Engineering: Design and Manufacture but also the successful balancing act of becoming a mother, studying and working full-time.

The 31-year-old from Grantown-on-Spey in Moray had been working within the engineering industry for the best part of a decade before the opportunity to study at RGU came along.

Megan had to defer her course for a year after giving birth to her daughter but was able to return to the Graduate Apprenticeship thanks to the support from the University and her employer.

She said the GA BEng (Hons) Engineering: Design and Manufacture course structure suited her as a mother and the distance learning aspect meant it could easily fit around her family.

Megan said: “I am absolutely delighted that I am finally graduating, and I am extremely proud of myself for doing so. Having to defer my course for a year due to the birth of my daughter was a big decision I had to make and managing to juggle pregnancy, motherhood and a degree was challenging. However, although slightly delayed the hard work, determination and drive has paid off.”

“Having worked in an engineering discipline for around 8 years, I was very keen to advance my career but didn’t know how I would manage with night classes. When the opportunity to study a Graduate Apprenticeship arose this was an absolute no brainer.

“I truly believe the Graduate Apprentice scheme is fantastic. Not only are you studying to get a degree, you gain the experience within a professional working environment surrounded by people that can support you and provide industry knowledge. Distance learning is a massive highlight for me as it meant that I could do this in my spare time and around my young child.”

Megan started her GA programme while working with the Balmoral Group in Aberdeen and now works for Metrol. Megan is currently working as a Design Draughtsperson but is keen to progress into a more engineering-based position following the completion of her degree.

She said that becoming pregnant during the programme was a challenge, the help she received from the University was perfect. Megan received regular one to one calls to check on her academic progress and she was also able to extend deadlines.

Megan added: “I honestly would just like to emphasise that becoming pregnant in the middle of a degree is very challenging and stressful however, the support received from RGU was great. Many females may deter going to university if they are planning on having a child or delay starting a family because they are in the middle of a degree however, RGU has the support in place to be able to support you to start or extend your family. I would also definitely recommend the Graduate Apprenticeship, this new way of learning is the future.”