ENGINEERING OPPORTUNITY

IF you or your child is coming to the end of A-levels and are wondering what's next, consider following in the footsteps of Jennifer Lloyd, from Hook in Hampshire. She did a degree apprenticeship after school and now, aged 25, has qualified with no debt and landed her dream job as an associate test engineer at McLaren Applied.

- Edited by LAURETTE ZIEMER

What do you do day-to-day?

You know that annoying moment on your morning commute when the internet cuts out? Well, my job is to stop that from happening.

I work as part of the Fleet Connect software project at McLaren Applied, and my team's specific focus is on improving internet connectivity on trains.

We leverage our experience from working across the top tiers of motorsport to pioneer new technology for a range of sectors. I spend my time designing and developing functions that improve connectivity in transport.

As well as designing the software or hardware solutions themselves, a large part of my day is spent with colleagues where we discuss projects, troubleshoot problems, and identify areas for improvement in our testing processes. It's a collaborative role, where a lot of time is spent on problem-solving.

What do you love about it?

I love finding solutions to problems. Every day new bugs and defects rear their heads in the technology we're developing, and our job is to be a detective, investigate these bugs and solve the mystery.