I Got Hired: Graduate Engineer at Ford Motor Company

Posted on: 17 November 2023 by Richard Finch in Graduate stories

Jack Worrall is a Class of 2022 BEng Mechanical Engineering graduate, now working as a Graduate Engineer at Ford Motor Company.

Jack Worrall is a Class of 2022 BEng Mechanical Engineering graduate, now working as a Graduate Engineer at Ford Motor Company.

'I Got Hired - My Career After Graduation'

How did you hear about your opportunity?

I found out about my job through Indeed. A company called GPW Recruitment were looking for graduates from engineering degrees for a multitude of roles at Ford Halewood Transmissions, ranging from jobs as a quality engineer to process engineer and even on the assembly line. Being new to the industry, I wasn’t quite sure what roles were for me and what wasn’t - so I applied for them all!

I would say through lots of hard work and perseverance. I found the jump from GCSE to A level’s extremely challenging and didn’t quite come out with the grades I expected but was lucky enough to be offered the opportunity to undertake a foundation year at Carmel college where I really knuckled down and focused on the gaps in my knowledge. I continued with this mindset once I got into university and no matter how hard you study it’s inevitable you will struggle at times, but it’s important to keep pushing on and seek help where ever you can, whether that be from friends, lecturers, tutors or former students! I’d also say don’t be disheartened by unsuccessful job applications or lack of response - it’s normal! I’d applied for countless amount of jobs before I landed in a job which was right for both myself and the company!

I love that no day is the same in my role as an engineer at Ford. You are consistently faced with new challenges and problems to solve. We are undergoing a very large change in Ford at the moment as we commit our future to electrification, so it’s been great to learn lots of new things and work with people from all over the world as part of this new project. I’ve learnt so much in this past year and absorbed as much as I can from everybody I’ve came into contact with - it’s such a great place to work.

For me the most challenging part of university was managing that balance between work and study as well as having some time to yourself, whether that be socialising with friends or taking hobbies. It is difficult, but always keep your studies as number one priority - I reduced my working hours to part time during my degree to ensure I had enough time for completing assignments and for revision. I’d always struggled with confidence and anxiety too, so group projects and presentations were a struggle at first but you’ve got to remember we are all in the same boat. University really brought me out of my shell and my social skills came on massively, which has helped a lot with my new role as I am often running meetings or presenting to senior members of the company.

My Top 3 Tips for current students and recent graduates:

1. Make your studies your number 1 priority at all times! Give yourself plenty of time to complete assignments, use your frees wisely.

2. Bring yourself out of your comfort zone. It will benefit you massively, especially if hen entering the working world. It’s natural to be anxious and unconfident at times but the more you act on these feelings, the easier it becomes. Face your challenges head on, don’t push them aside.

3. One I wish I had acted on myself! Try to get as much experience in the industry as possible, plenty of internships and work experience is out there during the summer. It really sets you apart from other candidates when applying for jobs if you already have industry experience and will help you a lot earlier on in your career. Likelihood is if you impress an employer on a short-term internship, they will be keen to get you back once you have completed your studies! It can also help you determine what role is right for you, as I went into my workplace not knowing what role I would be best suited to. It’s not vital to have this experience, but it will definitely open much more doors for you! "