Wired for Success: How Amentum's Apprenticeship Pathway Powered Grace’s Electrical Engineering Career

Discover how Amentum's structured apprenticeship routes are transforming school leavers into qualified engineers, and why that matters for the future of the industry.

When Grace McCrickard left school, she had ambition, drive, and a desire to work in engineering. What she needed was the right door to open. Amentum's apprenticeship partnership with Gen2 provided exactly that, and what followed is a career journey that continues to inspire.

The First Step: Turning Ambition into Action

Not every engineering career starts in a lecture hall. For Grace McCrickard, now an Electrical Project Engineer at Amentum, the spark was lit through a pre-apprenticeship programme offered by Gen2, a scheme now operating under the Step in2 Apprenticeships brand. Rather than following a traditional academic route, Grace chose to enter the workforce directly, gaining real industry exposure while developing the core skills that would underpin her entire career.

This entry-level programme is specifically designed for those who are new to engineering, offering a structured introduction to the sector before candidates commit to a full apprenticeship. For Grace, it was the launchpad she needed.

From the Tools to the Drawing Board: A Career Built on Practical Excellence

Progressing through her apprenticeship, Grace moved into hands-on electrical work, gaining field-level expertise as a qualified electrician. Her technical development didn't stop there, she went on to specialise in building control systems, a discipline that sits at the intersection of electrical engineering and intelligent infrastructure management.

Each stage of her career was deliberately progressive, building both depth of knowledge and breadth of experience. That combination is precisely what Amentum looks for when developing engineers capable of delivering complex projects across demanding industrial environments.

Academic Achievement Without the Traditional Route

One of the most significant milestones in Grace's journey has been the completion of her BEng in Plant Engineering, a Bachelor's degree earned while continuing to work full-time within the engineering sector. Balancing the intellectual demands of degree-level study with the pressures of an active project engineering role is no small feat, and Grace's achievement is a powerful demonstration of what degree apprenticeship and work-based learning models can deliver.

Crucially, Grace enters her graduate chapter not just with academic credentials, but with years of genuine industry experience, something that sets work-based learners apart in a competitive talent market.

Grace's Engineering Journey: Key Milestones

→  Pre-apprenticeship via Gen2 / Step in2 Apprenticeships

→  Apprenticeship in Electrical Engineering

→  Qualified Electrician — site-based practical experience

→  Specialist in Building Control Systems

→  Electrical Project Engineer at Amentum

→  BEng (Hons) Plant Engineering — degree graduate

What Grace's Story Tells Us About the Future of Engineering Talent

At Amentum, we believe that talent is everywhere, and that the role of a great employer is to create the conditions in which it can thrive. Grace's career trajectory is not an exception; it is the intended outcome of a deliberate investment in people, partnerships, and structured development pathways.

As the engineering sector faces well-documented skills shortages, the apprenticeship model represents one of the most effective responses available. It brings motivated individuals into the workforce early, develops them with purpose, and retains professionals who are deeply invested in the industry, and in the organisations that believed in them from the start.

Grace's story is proof that the path into engineering doesn't have to follow a single route. With the right support and the right opportunities, it can start anywhere.

Interested in apprenticeship opportunities with Amentum? Explore their early careers pathways and find out how they develop the next generation of engineering professionals.