20.08.2026

Year 10 student Areeba Adil spent a week at the Make UK Technology Hub in Aston, exploring different areas of engineering and manufacturing.

Already interested in design and practical engineering, Areeba used the placement to learn more about the careers available in the sector. During her time at the Hub, she tried welding, completed a manufacturing improvement challenge, designed a chair using CAD software and worked with robotics and electrical control systems. 

We looked back at what she learned from the experience and how it has shaped her plans for the future.

What first sparked Areeba’s interest in engineering?

Areeba has always enjoyed creating and designing things from a young age. She began developing her interest in engineering at secondary school and chose GCSE Engineering Design to gain more practical experience.

Outside the classroom, she has also spent time learning about CAD and creating her own designs. She is particularly interested in motorsport and wanted to explore how her design skills could be used within that industry.

Before the placement, Areeba was already considering an apprenticeship or continuing into college or sixth form. She hoped the week would give her a better understanding of engineering workplaces and the routes available after completing her GCSEs. 

What did the placement involve?

The placement introduced Areeba to several areas of engineering through practical sessions and a group manufacturing challenge.

She began with welding, working in small groups after completing a safety briefing. When the welding wire moved too slowly and affected the result, she asked the tutor to adjust the equipment and was able to improve her weld. She also worked with industrial robots, programming movement sequences, and used an electrical control system to see how changes to the wiring affected different components.

In the manufacturing challenge, the students worked as a team to assemble a garden cart. After reviewing their first attempt, they improved their communication and organisation, reducing the assembly time from 15 minutes to three minutes and 28 seconds.

Through these activities, Areeba learned that beyond practical skills, engineering is also about problem-solving, teamwork and always looking for ways to improve.

How did the placement build on her existing interests?

Areeba already had an interest in engineering design, which was reinforced during a careers session where her skills and interests matched most closely with this area of engineering.

She was able to explore this further in a session focused on designing a lounge chair. Starting with freehand sketches, she developed her idea using SolidWorks, creating the individual components needed to build the chair digitally and seeing how an initial concept could be turned into a more detailed design.

Areeba also experimented with AI-assisted design, using prompts and feedback to refine an image of the finished product. The session combined creativity with technical problem-solving and gave her practical experience of tools used by engineering designers. It helped her understand more about the role and confirmed that engineering design is an area she would be interested in exploring further.

How has the placement influenced her future plans?

Areeba remains interested in studying engineering after her GCSEs, with an apprenticeship or a 
T Level among the options she is considering.

The placement gave her a clearer understanding of what different engineering roles involve and allowed her to explore the areas that interested her most. It also strengthened her interest in design and her ambition to create products of her own in the future.

Reflecting on the week, Areeba said: “I feel like this has been an amazing opportunity. Work experience at Make UK really introduced me to the engineering world, along with helping build teamwork and problem-solving skills.”

With GCSE results day approaching, many young people will be thinking about their next steps. Work experience can give students an early insight into different careers, helping them understand the options available before making decisions about further education, training or apprenticeships.