There’s a myth that engineering careers only start one way: school, Highers, university, done.

Meet the case that challenges that myth: an applicant who gained a Social Sciences degree in the early 2000s, retrained with a Sciences HNC in the late 2010s, spent years in non-engineering roles, and is now in their second year of a BEng (Hons) Graduate Apprenticeship in Engineering (Design and Manufacture) at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU).

In employment since August 2024, they’re proof that the route into engineering is far more flexible than most people assume.

What is a Graduate Apprenticeship?

A Graduate Apprenticeship (GA) is a work-based degree where students attend university on day-release and spend the rest of the week applying what they’ve learned on the job.

GCU’s programme is built around three distinct streams – Computer-Aided Engineering, Control and Instrumentation, and Electrical Power Engineering Design – letting employers and apprentices pick whichever best matches the workplace they’re in.

It’s a model designed to work for two very different kinds of applicant: new recruits starting their career from day one, and existing employees looking to formalise and extend skills they’ve already built up on the job.

Both routes lead to the same destination: on graduation, apprentices are eligible to apply for Incorporated Engineer (IEng) professional registration, with the course itself accredited by the IMechE, the IET and InstMC.

The entry requirements — and why maths is the sticking point

For entry to year 1 at university (SCQF level 7), the standard entry route asks for level 6 Scottish Highers at BBCC, including Higher Maths and another science. Alternatively, an HNC relevant to the chosen stream with at least a B in the graded unit, including both Engineering Maths 1 and Engineering Maths 2.

Maths is critical to an applicant’s success on this programme and the entrance requirements are stringent, however GCU runs a Maths summer programme for applicants who have just fallen short of the entrance requirements in this subject.

A career that didn’t fit the standard mould

This is where our case study applicant comes in. Their journey to a new career was anything but linear:

• A Social Sciences degree, completed in the early 2000s
• A Sciences HNC, undertaken in the late 2010s
• Various non-engineering job roles in between
• Finally, recruitment as a Graduate Apprentice — the point at which everything changed

That CV doesn’t really point towards engineering as a career. And under a conventional entry system, it might well have been a dead end. What made the difference was a combination of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and the apprenticeship’s employment structure. Together, they opened up a career path that simply hadn’t existed for this person before.

How Recognition of Prior Learning works

The applicant’s previous qualifications and experience were taken into account to assess their suitability for the programme, with a Maths summer programme helping to fill any gaps in knowledge or skills.

In this case, the evidence produced for this RPL application was outstanding, and with this, the results were remarkably specific:

• Analysing engineering problems with complex features — met through describing an engineering solution to a real problem encountered in a pre-apprenticeship job
• Designing, developing, simulating, building, testing and evaluating solutions — met through project work completed during HNC study
• Investigating emerging technologies — met by explaining an understanding of 3D printing
• Communicating engineering concepts clearly — met with a practical, workplace-relevant example
• Knowledge across multiple engineering disciplines — met through self-directed explanation of several engineering areas
• Understanding engineering’s impact on society and environment — met with a focus on renewable energy and its broader societal benefit
• Electronic and microcontroller-based systems — met by explaining the operation of equipment from a former workplace that used these systems
• Applying engineering knowledge across contexts — met with an example drawn from personal life
• Algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus and statistics — met by citing relevant modules from previous study
• Numeracy skills — again evidenced through previous coursework
• Mathematical reasoning and complex modelling — met by describing how these skills were used in writing the dissertation for their most recent qualification

RPL is a thorough process which is rigorously assessed in the same manner as if the applicant had undertaken the study in the classroom. 

The bigger principle at work

Strip away the specifics of this one applicant’s story, and you can see the underlying method GCU applies to every RPL case:

1. Determine the essential requirements of the programme
2. Develop a process to assess applicants against those requirements
3. Assess the applicant against them, fairly and rigorously
4. Iterate, as many times as it takes, to give the applicant the best possible chance of demonstrating what they know

It’s that fourth step that matters most. RPL isn’t a one-shot test; it’s an iterative, supportive conversation between institution and applicant, designed to surface knowledge and ability that a conventional application form would never capture.

Why this matters beyond one applicant

This case study is a useful reminder that non-traditional routes into engineering aren’t a workaround or a lesser path: they’re a deliberate, well-designed part of how Graduate Apprenticeships function.

A degree in an unrelated subject, a career spent doing something else entirely, and a genuine curiosity about how things work can, with the right assessment process behind it, add up to a legitimate and rigorous entry point into a BEng (Hons) engineering qualification at SCQF level 10.

For employers, it’s a signal that talent already sitting inside the business – in roles that look nothing like engineering on paper – might be closer to apprentice-ready than anyone assumed.

With engineering facing a well-documented skills shortage across the UK, routes like this one matter more than ever.

By widening the doorway into the profession rather than narrowing it, this Graduate Apprenticeship is quietly helping to build the pipeline of engineering talent the sector urgently needs.

Useful links

RPL Hub

RPL case studies

Glasgow Caledonian University course details

Scotland’s economy is ever changing, and industries need a workforce with the right skills to keep up with new technology and global competition.

Apprenticeships play a big role in making sure people get the training and qualifications they need to gain the skills for a sustainable career.

Apprenticeships and SCQF levels

SCQF levels are embedded into Foundation, Modern and Graduate apprenticeship frameworks, which enables apprentices to gain the right level of competency, ability and skill to do their job. The SCQF levels of apprenticeships range from 5 to 12.

Many Scottish apprenticeships are taken at SCQF level 6 or above, meaning they provide advanced skills and knowledge to meet employer demand.

Over the past five years, the majority of Modern Apprentices have started at higher SCQF levels. In 2022/23, 80.9% of Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) were at SCQF Level 6 or above, increasing to 82.9% in 2023/24.

This steady rise shows a clear focus to give workers the skills they need for Scotland’s growing industries.

Creating more opportunities

Higher level apprenticeships are also helping more people from a range of backgrounds and abilities find high quality opportunities.

By making apprenticeships more inclusive, Scotland is creating a fairer job market and giving more people the chance to succeed.

The latest annual MA statistics showed that 80% of those who had declared as having a disability and 88% of those who declared being from an ethnic minority community have started apprenticeships at SCQF level 6 and over.

More than just a qualification

Scottish apprenticeships don’t just give people technical knowledge, they also help develop important meta-skills, like problem-solving, teamwork, communication and adaptability. These skills are useful in any job and help apprentices move into different roles as their careers progress.

This means that apprentices are not only learning practical skills, but also becoming confident and capable professionals who can adapt to changes in the workplace.

Building a strong future

Through these aspects and more, apprenticeships are helping Scotland build a skilled and adaptable workforce.

Developed to produce the skills needed to support industry, apprenticeships attract businesses to Scotland by ensuring there will be well-trained workers available, making the economy stronger and more competitive.

Apprenticeships are made for business, created in partnership with employers, for employers, making skilled individuals that benefit their businesses.

By providing strong technical training and valuable life skills, apprenticeships prepare people to meet today’s demands and for the jobs of the future.

This investment in skills is making Scotland more competitive and creating better opportunities for everyone.

For more information, visit apprenticeship.scot

Be inspired by our apprenticeship case studies.

View and compare apprenticeship SCQF levels on our Interactive Framework.