Today at UKTIN we’re proud to be celebrating National Engineering Day, an awareness day that aims to make the UK's engineers and engineering more visible, and celebrate how they improve everyday lives and shape the world around us for the better.
Engineers play a critical role in our sector and our sector really does underpin all others. In many ways therefore our telecoms engineers are the unsung heroes of our everyday lives: enabling communication, commerce and the delivery of public services.
The theme for 2024 is engineering role models and we certainly have our fair share of those. But this year we wanted to do something a little different and celebrate the up and coming engineers at the start of their telecoms career trajectories.
With an ageing workforce and emerging skills gaps, it’s even more vital than ever before that we attract and retain young, diverse talent into our sector. It’s the reason why we started our Young Ambassadors programme, to showcase those early in their career and use their voices to engage the next generations.
Today therefore, we’d like to shine a light on three young telecoms engineers who are forging a career in connectivity:
Ardy Theophilus, Level 6 Apprentice at BT Group studying Network Engineering at the University of Suffolk
“The team I work in is involved in testing and development of customer hubs. We ensure that all new products and developments fall in line within BT’s personal standards and can integrate seamlessly into the Openreach network…I enjoy being ahead of the curve and looking at future tech now, understanding how next generation products are made, and developing my knowledge in STEM subjects and their applications in telecommunications.
“My advice for anyone considering entering telecoms? Have a passion and a desire to learn. No matter your background you can get into the tech space. It is a sector that keeps on advancing and you too can keep developing alongside it.
“My engineering role model is Nikola Tesla. Coming from an extended family who are heavily involved in STEM, I was often gifted scientific books. I can remember learning about famous historical engineers, like Aristotle, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, but the one who stood out to me was Nikola Tesla. His inventions relating to electricity, especially patenting and popularising AC power; made me understand engineering and physics inspire generational leaps. He inspired in me a curiosity for physics and engineering, and taught me that learning is used to create and develop. This changed my outlook on studying form a young age and guided me to a career in engineering: another generational leap connecting people from different countries seamlessly.”
Rhys Thomas, Level 4 Apprentice Network Engineer, Nokia
“As a network engineer, my job is to maintain and upgrade all networks managed and delivered by Nokia to our B2B Customers. This can include a vast amount of travel, but also can be done from home with scripts and remote connections.
“As an apprentice engineer, we need to learn many technical concepts, which can be daunting, but as a company, Nokia prides itself on being a team-based organisation and is very welcoming in allowing you to learn from more experienced technical specialists. For me, I find that the best way to build my technical knowledge is by learning from others, and by embracing and understanding that if you make a mistake, you adapt quickly to get things right next time.
“Learning new things is essential for engineers as technology is always evolving. Therefore, the conversation that comes up most often with colleagues and family is how I can learn efficiently. My role model here is my Father, an aviation electrical installation engineer who always says that the best way of learning is to put the “how” with the “do”. I motivate myself with this everyday, and focus on marrying the theory of learning with the physical task to achieve the most impactful learning experience.
Tekle Berihu, Level 6 Apprentice at BT Group studying Network Engineering at the University of Suffolk
“I am currently part of the Converged Core 3rd Line Support Team within the Network Operations Centre. My role involves reactive work, which includes monitoring and maintaining BT’s critical network infrastructure that underpins more than £20 billion of revenue annually for the BT Group. On a day-to-day basis, I troubleshoot and diagnose faults, manage major service outages (MSOs), and assist second-line support and field engineers with tasks remotely.
“What I enjoy about my role is the process of resolving customer faults. Starting with minimal information and troubleshooting to identify the root cause of issues using cutting-edge technology, I find great satisfaction when my work directly impacts customers by keeping services uninterrupted, which is crucial for both BT and its customers.
“My engineering role model is my uncle, Afwerki Habte. He is a civil engineer and the first person from the village where I was born to attend university. His journey taught me the importance of education and the impact it can have on one’s life and the lives of others. Also, he reminded me to pursue my dreams fearlessly and to view challenges as opportunities for growth.”
UKTIN’s Talent Advisory Group is committed to addressing market failures and ensuring the sector has access to the talent and skills critical to the success of telecoms innovation. Find out more about the work the group does here. Want to join the group? Drop us a line at enquiries@uktin.net.
