Read about Sophie, a recent graduate, and about her experience studying chemical engineering at the University of Nottingham.
After five years at university, Sophie was awarded The Salters' Award. Now she has a successful career at Procter & Gamble as a Process Engineer and is inspiring the engineers of the future.
What attracted you to studying engineering?
At the beginning of sixth form, I hadn’t considered engineering and had a few different degree options shortlisted. Once I began to research what was out there, I discovered engineering.
Engineering appealed to me mainly because I wanted to study a degree with practical applications which had good career prospects.
I remember reading through the “whynotchemeng” page on IChemE and realised how diverse and varied engineering really is – even now I’m still shocked at the scope of job opportunities, it can take you anywhere!
Why did you choose to study at the University of Nottingham?
Nottingham wasn’t initially my first choice – I tried to look a little further from home, as you do at 16-17 years old with your first glimpse of freedom.
I then came to a offer-holder day and was really impressed by the enthusiasm shown by the staff in the department here. I remember it having a really different feel to the other engineering departments I’d visited. The staff were really keen on driving a community feel.
I knew I would get the right level of support from lecturers that were willing to help and share their passion for various specialist fields of chemical engineering. I knew I made the right choice soon after starting.
Sophie Whitworth
Chemical and Environmental Engineering graduate
Sophie Whitworth, Chemical and Environmental Engineering graduate
Tell us about your year in industry
As part of my course, I completed a year-long industrial placement at Cargill. Cargill operates in a number of food, agricultural, financial and industrial markets and I worked within their oilseeds business unit at a soybean crush and refinery plant in Liverpool.
Completing a year in industry was a completely different lifestyle to university. I’m really glad I took that year out to learn more about the practical applications of engineering and to identify the scope of roles I could get involved in.
I was able to utilise the teamwork and problem-solving skills I had gained throughout the degree and learn new skills such as project management and adaptive communication with a range of team members.
I think work experience is really instrumental in helping to secure a graduate job. It exposes you to so much that you might have only touched upon at university. It bridges the gap between the theoretical aspects of the course and where that translates into an industrial setting. In addition, after three years at university, it’s a good time to take a break from studying.
Sophie Whitworth
Chemical and Environmental Engineering graduate
Tell us about your graduate job at Proctor and Gamble
Since graduating I have secured a role as a Making and Utilities Process Engineer at P&G’s Reading Plant, where we produce Gillette and Old Spice products.
I think one of my favourite parts is having the freedom to work collaboratively with colleagues with multiple skillsets to drive improvements, be that to a physical or digital process, with the aim of reducing consumption or introducing a time saving.
The wide range of opportunities at the end of an engineering degree means it is a great path for anyone looking to study a subject with both practical and theoretical applications. The skills developed on an engineering course are highly sought-after.
Sophie Whitworth
Chemical and Environmental Engineering graduate
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