School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

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Joanna Barclay, from Belfast, who will soon be commencing her degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Queens

It’s often been said that apprenticeships are great platforms to launch careers and this has never been truer for Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) third year apprentice Joanna Barclay who is about to embark on a degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Joanna Barclay from Belfast, is the first to be accepted onto the Apprentice to Graduate programme, a new annual scheme that NIE is offering its apprentices in conjunction with Queen’s University Belfast.

Technical Training Manager at NIE, Raymond McMenemy, explains: “At NIE we have always placed a huge importance on apprenticeships and believe it helps develop highly skilled, future employees.  We are encountering a shortage of electrical engineers at NIE so the Apprentice to Graduate programme is a great opportunity for us to not only offer our apprentices a route to develop their careers but also help the company fulfil a skills shortage.”

Joanna is looking forward to starting the course in October and said: “I was interviewed to profile the NIE apprentice programme back in 2010 and when asked what my future career aspirations were I said that one day I’d like to work as a technician or engineer in the company.  When NIE offered the Apprentice to Graduate programme I jumped at the chance to get one step closer to achieving my career ambitions and applied immediately.  I know it will be a tough couple of years but I can’t wait for the challenge.”

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