Lubrizol employee says opting for a degree apprenticeship has “massive benefits” after capping off six years with top prize at Sheffield Hallam University

Ben Lewin, a control specialist at Derbyshire science company Lubrizol, is a first class student after winning the “Engineering Apprenticeship Excellence Award” from Sheffield Hallam University in recognition of his performance over a six year Electrical and Electronic Engineering degree.

Ben, from Nottingham, has been completing his degree while employed at Lubrizol, travelling to Sheffield one day a week for his studies while learning the rest on the job.

It has been so successful that Ben, who has been employed at Lubrizol since the age of 19, has been awarded a First Class Degree.

He said: “I felt really proud – it made all the work I’d done worthwhile.”

A degree apprenticeship involves a candidate studying at university while being employed at the same time. The huge benefit to the employee is that they emerge with a degree and no debt, the fees having been paid for by the company.

According to current figures, the average student in the UK leaves university with the requirement to pay back more than £40,000 to the Government.

Ben left secondary education after his GCSEs and within a few years was employed at Lubrizol’s UK Technical Centre in Hazelwood, near Duffield, where his job involves working in the mechanical testing department.

He said: “I believe doing an apprenticeship has brought me out of my shell and helped me gain confidence. That opportunity of working, gaining a qualification and getting paid for it is a massive benefit.

“I’ve also been interested in electronics and computers since I was young.

“To get your degree funded and be paid too, while working with people in the industry, is brilliant. At the start of the degree it was a bit tough. It takes a while to get into the groove of balancing your social life while doing your degree at the same time. Over the years I got used to it. For me, that’s quite important, to have that balance.

“From a financial point of view, I’d advise someone that if they have the opportunity to do a degree apprenticeship, it’s a no brainer. I would say to them, if there’s an area they like or want to work in, maybe look and see if there are related degree apprenticeship opportunities in that area. I think I might have struggled a bit if I’d gone straight from university into the workplace but I’ve got six years of experience at Lubrizol now.”

Ben now works full time at Lubrizol in its mechanical testing facility.

Lucy Cooper, HR business partner at Lubrizol, said: “We’re so proud of Ben and everything he has achieved while working for us at Lubrizol. To achieve a first-class honours degree is impressive in itself but to be given the university excellence award on top of that is an accolade indeed.

“We are very proud of our wide range of apprenticeship opportunities at Lubrizol. We believe it’s great for candidates to be able to learn on the job and gain valuable qualifications while with us. It works really well for us as a company and for them, too. We’d strongly advise anyone considering their next steps in education to have a look at the range of roles we have on offer.”

Sam Moorwood, Head of Apprenticeships and Work Based Learning, at Sheffield Hallam University, said: “Everyone at Hallam is tremendously proud to see Ben win this award, which caps off an incredibly successful six years of working and studying. We want to congratulate all of the members of our Class of 2024 on their hard work, dedication and success.

“By working with employer partners like Lubrizol, we are bringing through the next generation of leaders in engineering, as well as many other critical industries. Degree apprenticeships offer opportunities to people from all kinds of backgrounds, in a wide range of sectors. As one of the UK’s leading providers, and as the home of the National Centre of Excellence for Degree Apprenticeships, we are very proud to train the best and the brightest apprentices in the country.”