Holly Holding

"Holly is an Engineering Undergraduate Apprentice, studying at university and working at the pioneering aerospace company Airbus.Holly describes herself as self-motivated and curious which is great because in her job, it is important to understand why things work and to question things. This really ties in with the ‘Explorer’ type. She also needs to communicate problems well in order to discuss them and find solutions, so it helps that she is also the ‘Communicator’ type. Holly is also friendly and she works well within her team, so she matches the ‘Coach’ type too."

"As an Engineering Undergraduate Apprentice, Holly studies at university while also doing engineering placements. The company she works for and is training at is the pioneering aerospace company Airbus. They design and manufacture innovative aircraft.Holly is currently in a Stress placement (no, she is not in a stressful role!). She analyses the stresses and loads put on materials that are likely to be used in aircraft design and manufacture. Her work involves looking at different structures and analysing the stresses on them, finding ultimate loads and understanding what the material can withstand, and importantly what it cannot stand. She has meetings with designers and gets to speak to high-up engineers. She has really enjoyed doing her placements and applying knowledge from school and university to real life situations. As an apprentice, she has the opportunity to try out different roles and departments in the company so that she can find one that matches her skills and passions."

"Holly’s uncle did Aeronautical Engineering, so he has always been a big factor in inspiring Holly’s career. Holly’s Maths teacher was also very inspiring. Holly took Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Biology at A-Level because she enjoyed these subjects at GCSE and wanted to take them further. She particularly enjoyed going to Maths challenges and helping children in the younger years in Science Club. After completing her A-Levels, Holly knew that she didn't want to just go to university, so she applied for the apprenticeship scheme at Airbus instead. This allows her to work and study, she has her fees paid by her employer and earns a salary; so, she will not have any student debt when she qualifies, and she will have a job.Her starting salary as a Higher Apprentice was about £15,000."

"In her spare time, Holly likes to play netball and go swimming. She has always done sport, and she enjoys being able spend time with her friends while doing something she loves. She used to swim for Surrey and she has also competed in Ballroom dancing competitions!Holly has 3 more years of her apprenticeship to go, during which she will do placements in a range of different departments and get to understand lots of different aspects of engineering. Once she has finished, she is hoping to be offered a role to stay in the business in her target area. She will have many opportunities after this to do more learning and to move around different roles. There could even be opportunities for Holly to travel in the future, as Airbus has sites in loads of different countries. Holly would like to do a design placement and try to get a role where she can improve her design skills. In fact, her dream would be to use her design skills in the Formula 1 car racing industry one day!"