Author
Cara Short

School Pupil

5 minute read

This is my second visit to Scottish Engineering on work experience, last time I worked in the legal sector to get an idea of what it is like to work as a solicitor. This time round, after honing my focus on physics after beginning my A-levels, I went out to visit multiple member companies to do with engineering and physics. This is all to help me gather an idea on my future career in physics. Over the week I have travelled throughout Scotland receiving tours and talks from multiple companies to give me ideas on what it is like to work in physics and more specifically their sector. These companies ranged from working with space to lasers and all were fascinating in their own degree. I would like to thank Scottish Engineering and their member companies which I visited for this opportunity.

Coherent Visit

The visit and tour of the Glasgow location of Coherent was extremely interesting for someone like me who has an ever-growing passion for physics. We were welcomed into the factory and shown around by Colin Campbell who was very friendly and able to ask any questions that arose when we were viewing such intricate equipment. We were able to see where the lasers were created and repaired with each being different from the last; each laser being created to be applied in different instances from creating phone screens to laser eye surgery. After we were shown round the labs by Garry Murrie where prototypes are made and tested. All this accumulated to an incredible learning experience provided for us by the Coherent team.

Trend Technologies

At Trend Technologies I was able to experience a tour of the shop floor by the engineering manager of the location, Brian Moffat. Through this tour I was able to see how dissimilar parts were manufactured using machines like lasers and punching machines. I was able to visualise how many people and machines are needed to make even the smallest of parts. This gave me an insight into the engineering world and knowing that all these parts are used for so many different things from medical uses to ATMs was certainly surprising; it also showed me that engineering is used for a range of items and workplaces. I would like to thank Trend Technologies for their kindness and this opportunity.

AAC Clyde Space

AAC Clyde Space provided an insight into jobs in the newly developing space sector. They also showed me how a company like them run on a business level which allowed me to learn how a company like AAC Clyde create profit and provide their service to those who need it. As someone like me who has had a long-term interest in space this gave me the opportunity to understand what jobs are out there for people like me besides astronauts and rocket scientists. I would like to thank Culwinder Bhumbra and Angela Finlay who provided us with an overview of how the company works and Kieran Graham who gave us a brief tour and explanation of the clean room; this was especially interesting as a satellite was being built in that moment.

Mahle

Mahle and Chris Hartley gave us an extensive tour of the entire manufacturing line, the race unit, and the materials unit. This gave a clear idea of how the company is run and how it produces bearings for cars from the road to Formula One. As an avid Formula One fan myself it was incredibly interesting to me to see these small parts that are in every car being created. It showed me the real-life jobs connected to the sport I care about, and it showed me what sort of careers are out there relating to Formula One. Also, the range of jobs available in just that company shows how much is needed to create these high-powered cars. Thank you Mahle for this opportunity and your hospitality.

Overall, this was a very exciting week and has given me a lot of inspiration to continue on my physics journey. It has also put into perspective what future careers are open to me in the sector and the range of jobs I could go into. Thank you again to Scottish Engineering and the companies I visited for their kindness and hospitality; as well as the opportunity to experience just a part of their careers this week.