Transforming ambition into achievement

When Senior Design Engineer Jess Burnhope set her sights on a new career direction, the Civil Engineering Degree Apprenticeship offered the perfect balance of hands-on experience, academic study, and long-term progression.

Beginning her journey

Jess is a Senior Design Engineer in the Foundation Design team at Balfour Beatty Power Transmission & Distribution. Her role is highly varied, involving both foundation design and geotechnical engineering. She focuses on producing new-build foundations and assessing existing ones to determine whether they remain fit for purpose particularly when infrastructure needs upgrading or adapting for new loads.

For Jess, contributing to essential national infrastructure is one of the most rewarding aspects of her role. Every project plays a part in strengthening reliable and safe electricity networks for millions of homes and businesses across the UK.

Her decision to pursue the Civil Engineering Degree Apprenticeship stemmed from a major shift in career aspirations. Originally planning to become an art teacher, Jess studied Fine Art full-time before realising she was far more drawn to the structures she was sketching than the art itself. Interested in infrastructure and keen to enter the world of work, she began exploring engineering apprenticeships, eventually securing a place with Balfour Beatty. Looking back eight years later, she knew it was absolutely the right choice.

Growing in confidence

Jess’s apprenticeship opened the door to an impressive range of opportunities. She had access to expert technical support, specialist training, and early career events including the chance to complete Gold Duke of Edinburgh through work. These experiences accelerated her development, strengthened her confidence, and helped her build connections across the industry.

The apprenticeship also provided structure and support as she gained experience across different engineering teams. When she first started, Jess had never stepped foot in an engineering office and lacked confidence. But through rotations, workplace learning, and academic study, she was able to grow at her own pace. Completing her Civil Engineering degree and later achieving Incorporated Engineer (IEng) status was a milestone she credits to the guidance of both the university and Balfour Beatty.

“Over the years I’ve managed to network across our business, meet so many other apprentices on the same journey making lifelong friends, gained so many transferable skills, got to build my confidence – honestly, I could list more. If I had to pick one, it would be the huge sense of achievement of completing an apprenticeship knowing you’ve had to balance work and study, it is difficult as its intense learning so much everyday – but it really springboards your career and really sets you away on your career path.”

Jess later supported apprentice events and mentoring activities, finding great satisfaction in helping new engineers follow a path she once walked herself.

Her biggest challenge during the apprenticeship was learning how to balance full-time work, university studies, and personal life. She learned to prioritise, set focused study time and seek support when she needed it - skills she still uses every day.

“Managing my time was the biggest challenge for me; balancing a full-time job, university studies and your social life can be difficult but if you can master it, it will help set you up for life. I had to really learn how to prioritise and set focus time so I could get my tasks done and know when to reach out when I needed help.”

Throughout the programme, the University of Derby offered strong and consistent support. Jess described the guidance she received as incredible, as her tutors and mentors were passionate, motivating and genuinely invested in her success.

Advice for future apprentices

Looking back, Jess values many aspects of completing her apprenticeship: the networks she built, the friends she made, the confidence she gained and the transferable skills she developed. But above all, she treasures the overwhelming sense of achievement that came with completing the programme. Balancing work and study was demanding, but it laid the foundation for rapid career progression.

“I would highly recommend Derby University – I did both my degrees here and I had a great experience both times! The course content on the Civil Engineering course was engaging and well delivered, the facilities were great and I found the lab support fantastic when I was completing my dissertation.”

Looking ahead

Having completed both her degrees at the University of Derby, Jess continues to champion the value of apprenticeships and the quality of the engineering programmes offered. She highly recommends the University, praising the engaging course content, excellent facilities, and supportive lab teams especially during her dissertation.

“I want to keep the momentum up and continue to grow my career, I really enjoy engineering so just want to really keep developing my knowledge.”