Student stories

The people and the history of Williams Racing are unique and what they’ve achieved as a small family business is incredible. I felt like a part of the team from the first day.

I would absolutely recommend doing a Professional Training Year, not just to enhance technical skills and knowledge but to develop soft skills, which at times can be more important.

My placement year really helped me to grow as an engineer and become more confident in my ability to solve engineering problems in industry. I’ve also gained invaluable teamworking experience and greatly improved my communication and time management skills.

I was responsible for the full design process of parts such as moulds, joints, brackets and mechanisms, which were then manufactured, tested and integrated into a range of boat models.

One of my biggest achievements was producing training material for surgeons who use Renishaw’s medical devices. It was particularly rewarding to see work I had produced being put into practice in industry.

The best aspect of my course has been the chance to work on numerous hands-on projects. These projects have been very pertinent to real world challenges – for example a group project I’ve worked on involved designing and manufacturing a robotic hand for a child.

My supervisors have been very supportive throughout my research. Furthermore, the range of facilities available will be invaluable for the implementation of my techniques.