Career Heroes - Peter McMullan

Tell us more about you

I’ve been working as a Design Engineer for nearly two years now. I joined Ryobi in 2017 following a six-week work placement, which solidified my interest in pursuing a career in Engineering. The Apprenticeship scheme they offered provided opportunities for development and progression.

At school, I was always intrigued by STEM-based subjects such as Technology and Maths. I’ve a strong passion for all forms of motorsport, so working within the automotive industry is great for furthering my understanding of how certain mechanisms work.

Outside of work, I enjoy participating in sports, whether that be individual or team sports like golf and football.

What kind of work do you do?

As a Design Engineer, I’m expected to complete a variety of tasks on a daily basis. This might include working with customers and suppliers to develop new products for production, or using CAD/CAM software to manage and update 2D drawings and 3D models to reflect changes to the existing parts being manufactured.

I also communicate with different manufacturing departments, providing technical resources and carrying out checks to enable finished parts to be produced.

I participate in cost reduction and quality improvement projects, assist with careers events to make students aware of opportunities in Engineering, and adhere to all company policies and procedures.

How did you become a Design Engineer ?

After completing my A Levels in Technology, ICT, and Business Studies at Cambridge House Grammar School, I attended Northern Regional College, where I studied a BTEC Level 3 in Engineering. This was a two year course, which I completed alongside an NVQ Level 2 in Engineering. I then progressed to complete a HNC in Engineering (Level 4) along with an NVQ Level 3 in Machining.

My engineering career began when I was offered a place on the Career Ready programme. This involved a six week work placement, which provided an insight into the day to day operations of an engineering environment. I was fortunate to be placed in Ryobi. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience and this persuaded me to apply for an Apprenticeship with them.

During my Apprenticeship, I was assigned to the Die Maintenance Tool Room, where I learned about CNC milling and turning processes and operations. I was also given the opportunity to work with many skilled Operators and learned a variety of skills while working on different machines.

Before completing my Apprenticeship, I was promoted to the Design department to provide assistance with the die tooling. This was a very different role but one that provided me with the opportunity to progress in the company and develop more skills, which I felt could lead to me becoming a more accomplished Engineer in the future.

If you could do-over, What would you do differently?

I didn’t get the A Level grades I’d hoped for to open up opportunities at university, but now I can see from my own experiences that there are many more paths to achieve your potential within industries such as engineering.

The Apprenticeship route was of great benefit to me, as I was able to get “on the job” experience and apply this to my studies. I maybe could have progressed more quickly if I’d left school after my GCSEs and gone straight into an Apprenticeship, but I don’t think I would do anything differently because I had the maturity to apply myself much more when I did enter the industry.