Today we are celebrating University Centre Weston alumnus Alexia Williams who was named as a recipient of an MBE for services to Education and Skills in the King’s Birthday Honours List! This is an incredible achievement and all of us here at UCW are so proud of her. Working for Rolls Royce, Alexia has had an impressive career – achieving chartered status at the age of 25, becoming one of only 12 women ever to have achieved this at that age or younger! She has been an advocate for women entering engineering and other STEM related fields. One of the ways she has done this is through being a mentor with Stemettes. We caught up with Alexia and heard all about it!
What do you do as a mentor with Stemettes?
“Being a mentor with Stemettes involves supporting and encouraging young women who are interested in pursuing careers within STEM. Mentors are paired with mentees to help guide them through their journey, answer questions, share experiences, and provide advice to help them succeed with confidence.
“My mentee was just finishing her A-levels and knew she wanted to become a software engineer. Although software engineering is not my own area of expertise, many of the skills and experiences I had gained through my apprenticeship journey were still highly relevant. I supported her with developing her CV, searching for apprenticeship opportunities, preparing applications, and understanding how to stand out during interviews. We also discussed how to make the most of an apprenticeship once in the role and how to continue developing professionally.
“We would typically have a one-hour call every two to three weeks, depending on what worked best around our schedules. Each session focused on different areas of development, allowing us to work through goals step-by-step and build her confidence throughout the process.”
During her time at UCW, Alexia studied a degree apprenticeship while working at Rolls Royce something she attributes her success to: “Without my aerospace engineering degree apprenticeship at UCW & UWE, followed by my master’s degree apprenticeship at Cranfield University, I would not be where I am in my career today.
“The apprenticeship route allowed me to gain industry-recognised qualifications alongside real workplace experience, which accelerated both my technical development and professional growth far more quickly than a traditional full-time university route would have. Where I was applying what I learned in real engineering environments from day one, I was able to build both technical expertise and professional confidence at an early stage in my career.” We asked Alexia:
What would you recommend about an engineering degree apprenticeship to someone who was interested?
“I would recommend taking the time to discover which area of engineering genuinely interests and excites you, then setting your ambitions high and making the most of every opportunity to learn from the people around you. Engineering offers such a wide variety of career paths, so staying curious, asking questions, and being open to learning from experienced professionals can make a huge difference to both your development and long-term career journey.
“For me, completing my training through an apprenticeship was one of the best decisions I could have made. You are learning directly from skilled professionals from the very beginning, gaining valuable real-world experience while also achieving qualifications without the financial burden of full-time university study. It gives you the opportunity to develop both academically and professionally at the same time.”
How would you describe your time at University Centre Weston?
“I spent the first year of my aerospace engineering degree apprenticeship with Rolls-Royce at University Centre Weston before moving to University of the West of England for the remaining years of the degree. During that time, UCW continued to support us in completing our EAL NVQ Level 4 Diploma in Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing alongside our placements until we completed the apprenticeship.
“In the first year at UCW, we completed the full first year of the aerospace engineering degree while also studying towards an EAL NVQ Level 2 Diploma in Aerospace and Aviation Engineering. My time at Weston was incredibly enjoyable because so much of the learning was hands-on. We gained practical experience in welding, milling, turning, and soldering – skills we would not typically have had the opportunity to develop through a full-time university route alone. It gave us a much broader understanding of engineering and helped build confidence in applying theory in a practical environment.
“The main facility we were based in was the South West Skills Campus, which gave us access to all the machinery, workshops, and equipment needed to complete the NVQ Level 2 qualification, alongside classrooms for our first-year degree lectures. Having both the practical and academic learning environments in one place worked really well and helped connect the theory with real engineering applications.
“When revising for exams and working on assignments, we would often use the UCW Winter Gardens facility. It was a fantastic environment to study, collaborate, and revise with other apprentices from Rolls-Royce and other companies on the course. The collaborative atmosphere made a huge difference and created a really supportive learning environment.”
As we celebrate ten years of UCW in 2026, we want to look back at the thousands of students and alumni from the beginning through to the present. We are so proud of our alumni, with many going on to do incredible things like achieving this impressive recognition! A big thank you to Alexia for catching up with us, and once again we want to wish her the the biggest congratulations on her well deserved MBE!
If you want to find out more about Alexia’s course, click here! To find out about all of our Engineering Degree Apprenticeships and all of our Engineering and Construction courses, click the links!
