Coventry engineer helps young people find a path to the profession

Conor Knell
·3-min read
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


A group of engineering technicians are demonstrating the difference their work makes every day and celebrating the important work engineers do, in the hope of inspiring the next generation. Among them is Kieran Bullivant, a research engineer at The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC Coventry ), who is out to help teenagers find their way into a profession many are unsure of how to access.

It’s particularly poignant in a city like Coventry, where the history and identity of the city is very much tied to the period when it was the beating heart of Britain’s automotive industry. Even today, Jaguar Land Rover’s Whitley development centre has engineers and designers developing products driven by everyone from remote farmers to Hollywood A-Listers.

Recent research from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation found becoming an engineer was the job that excited 14–16-year-olds most, beating footballer and influencer to the top spot, however a fifth of young people have little understanding of the opportunities available to get their dream job.

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To combat this, Bullivant is highlighting how he secured his engineering technician role working on high-tech projects to help achieve the government’s net zero target.

He landed his role after a 3-year apprenticeship at MTC and since gaining skills and work experience in engineering, has never looked back. He is now a chartered Engineering Technician with the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and hopes to show young people the many opportunities working as a technician in engineering can bring.

Commenting on his experience, Kieran said: “I love the fact I can be hands-on in my role, I get the opportunity to create new products that could help revolutionise the production of clean energy. For me, it has always been my creative outlet, as my role enables me to solve problems big and small – from companies looking to improve their product, to large-scale issues of recycling waste material back into a usable product for the future.

“To any young person thinking about their next steps, I always say it is okay to not know what you want to do. It can be really scary not knowing, but it is also normal and if you see something that excites you, follow it and you can go as far as you like. If you enjoy being hands-on, problem-solving, and the idea of shaping the future of technology sounds interesting, I would encourage you to find out more about what engineering technicians do. There is such a variety of roles out there, you’re bound to find one that you’ll love and can make a difference in.”

Engineers work across a varied and exciting range of industries doing all kinds of important work. Helen Esposito, Campaign Manager for Technicians: We Make the Difference , at the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, said: “Engineering technicians do incredible work every day in exciting, interesting roles, many of which are yet to be discovered by many young people. These roles often don’t require a degree, and young people can access them via a T-level or apprenticeship, gaining real-life work experience as they learn, just like Kieran did.

From a Robotics Technician who keeps manufacturing plants working, and a Space Engineering Technician who develops equipment for the space sector, to a Healthcare Engineering Technician who designs and develops medical devices and equipment, there really is something to suit everyone’s interests.”

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