Your time as an Arkwright Scholar
Here is a testimonial from a previous Arkwright, Thomas Stanford who is now employed by Dynex on a permanent basis as an Engineer.
"As an Arkwright Scholar I was very fortunate to be able to tap into a range of activities which allowed me to explore the broad spectrum of careers available in the engineering industry. Starting with the application process which involved designing solutions to unseen problems the scholarship pushed beyond the fundamental mathematic and scientific principles learnt in education and opened the door to the world of engineering. The scholarship afforded some fantastic opportunities such as a CAD training course and software licence, behind the scenes tours of university engineering departments, a mentor who helped navigate the world of engineering careers and a work experience placement with Rolls Royce.
Work experience at Dynex
In my final year of 6th form I started to build my professional relationship with Dynex, my first summer placement was a huge eye opener and allowed me to build a keen understanding of the work of an engineer. I was fortunate to spend time in a range of departments which gave me a fantastic overview of the operation of a production line and the manufacturing processes used in the semiconductor industry. Throughout my university studies I continued to return to Dynex in my summer breaks, where I was able to get stuck into some real engineering projects which allowed me to develop and hone my engineering skillset, this experience proved hugely beneficial when returning to university each year and allowed me to hit the ground running. It was an incredible benefit to be able to link my academic understanding with real world applications.
Going to University
In order to broaden my skillset as an engineer and gain a range of experiences I decided to study General Engineering at Cambridge University, this course covered the fundamental principles of a wide spectrum of engineering disciplines. This broad background stood me in good stead when I chose to specialise in a combination of electrical and electronic modules going into my final years, where I was able to hone in on a narrower subset of engineering and apply the broader principles in a more targeted and applications focussed manner. My study culminated in a Masters, where I researched the design of an ultra-high frequency nanowire nanogap Schottky Barrier Diode. This combination of a broad knowledge of the engineering disciplines with a focussed expertise in electronics and electrical engineering has been perfect for building a career in my chosen field of power electronics manufacturing, which dips into a huge variety of engineering areas and in turn provides a hugely varied and rewarding workload.
Joining Dynex on a permanent placement
I was very glad to have the opportunity to return to Dynex following the completion of my study, I returned to take up a role in Bipolar Production. My work load has been varied, interesting and incredibly rewarding. I am very fortunate to work in a highly competent team with a great wealth of expertise for me to draw on while I continue with my development as an engineer."