The Apprenticeship Route: Lewis at Rolls Royce
For many parents, the value of education is measured not simply by examination results, but by the confidence, character and opportunities a school helps unlock in young people. Lewis Sedgwick’s story reflects exactly that.
A Settlebeck Scholar at Sedbergh, Lewis combines academic ambition with intellectual curiosity, leadership, sport and music — qualities that have helped him secure a highly competitive degree apprenticeship with Rolls-Royce in Nuclear Engineering. Yet what stands out most is not simply the destination, but the way he speaks about learning, collaboration and personal growth.
In this conversation, Lewis reflects on why he chose a degree apprenticeship over a traditional university route, how Sedbergh helped him develop as an all-round individual, and why experiences beyond the classroom proved just as important as grades.
“Sedbergh makes you a well-rounded person because you do a bit of everything here. I came to the School as an all-rounder and that’s only been amplified by my two years here.”
What subjects are you studying this year?
I’m studying Maths, Physics and History at A level.
What opportunity have you secured after Sedbergh?
It’s a degree apprenticeship, a fully funded four-year placement with Rolls-Royce as a member of the Rolls-Royce Engineering Group.
When did you first start thinking about a degree apprenticeship?
It was actually in Year 10 or Year 11 at my old school when we had a speaker come in from BAE Systems, which is one of the apprenticeships I applied for. They build the submarines for the Royal Navy’s continuous at-sea deterrent. Essentially, what they were talking about and what the programme entailed just sounded deeply interesting to me.
As well as that, despite going to private school, I’m not well-off. So the idea of no student debt, a wage in addition to four years’ work experience — which would then make me instantly more employable — was very attractive.
After spending a lot of time in education, pursuing vocational training rather than just a traditional educational route felt more up my street. Having the opportunity to get that degree, the same degree as anywhere, alongside the opportunity to develop my skills with professionals in a highly collaborative work environment in a really awesome company was hugely appealing.
At that time it was BAE, and then I found out more about Rolls-Royce, so I applied for both and ended up choosing the latter.
Did you ever consider a traditional university pathway?
University was sort of the done thing. You progress through education and then go to university, obviously, so that was just the default. But as soon as I found out about degree apprenticeships and the rising number of young people being employed through that route in the UK, I pretty quickly shifted over to that being my goal.
I still filled out UCAS applications because degree apprenticeships are highly competitive. If I didn’t get in, I needed something to fall back on, either a gap year and then reapplying, or university. Even if I did get in, I still had my university applications. I got offers from Warwick, Bath, Loughborough and Liverpool, so I could always defer those places for a year, try the degree apprenticeship and, if it turned out not to be for me, still have something to go back to.
As soon as I researched it, learned more about it and realised that was what I wanted to do, university became the safety net.
What degree will you graduate with?
It’s a Bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Engineering.
What did the application process involve from start to finish?
I’m not able to share everything, but I’ll share what I can. It was as simple as researching when the applications would open, which was slightly later, around November to January for the two I applied for. You go online and fill out details very similar to UCAS: your name, subjects, predicted grades, address and contact details.
A common theme was behavioural questions. They’re not typically essay questions, but more things like: what would you do to progress within the company, what would make you a valuable part of a team, and what made you choose this early careers programme?
In other cases there are skills assessments and in-person interviews, but none of it is strictly assessing how academically intelligent you are. It’s more from a vocational perspective — how well you learn, how you think and, essentially, whether you’re the right fit for the company.
They’re much more interested in your characteristics than the grades you come out with. For the ones I applied for, the requirements were only 96 and 112 UCAS points, which are CCC and CCB, so not particularly demanding considering the discipline it’s in. It’s very characteristic and behavioural.
Do you think there’s anything about your time at Sedbergh that helped you stand out?
I think one thing that was particularly strong in the in-person interviews was my ability to answer questions off the cuff.
They do give you quite a bit of guidance on what they might ask and the areas they might quiz you on, but I think my experience at Sedbergh — particularly things like Dinner Debates, which I’ve attended at least ten times through Years 12 and 13 — really helped my ability to speak off-the-cuff and answer questions.
I did a similar thing being President of the Physics Society, the Invisible College, and academic societies as a whole because I presented another talk for the School of Athens. That ability to talk, speak well, articulate my thoughts clearly and communicate effectively to the assessors was very valuable.
Also, Sedbergh makes you a well-rounded person because you do a bit of everything here, and I think that’s particularly valuable. I came to the School as an all-rounder and that’s only been amplified by my two years here. Extracurricular activities are definitely part of that and make you a much more attractive candidate than someone who is purely academic.
When you describe yourself as an all-rounder, what do you mean?
I attended the local state school, Settlebeck, and I was lucky enough to receive a Settlebeck Scholarship, which means I have a fully funded place here. I pay for extras, but my mum works two jobs, my dad’s a farmer, and I live in Sedbergh, so I never particularly thought I’d be at a private school until the scholarship became possible.
I’m immensely grateful for it because it’s given me this fantastic two years.
In terms of being an all-rounder, what I want to get across is that I take great pride in my academics, but I’d also been playing rugby and other sports for quite a long time before coming here, and obviously that’s one of the School’s major strengths. I’m also musical and play three musical instruments.
Sedbergh hasn’t necessarily started me off with new things, but it has absolutely given me the chance to grow and develop the things I already came into the School with.
Who supported you along the way — teachers, mentors or family?
The big one is family. Being a day pupil, I return home every night, and my mum and dad in particular were very supportive of me.
In general, the staff — particularly in the Physics department — and all the staff I told about what I was pursuing and the challenge of it were super supportive.
The reason I ended up talking to the Physics Society was because the talk I gave was actually a rendition of the presentation I had to give to the assessors during the in-person interview. Mr Appleton encouraged me to do it and said, “Give it a go. It’ll be great practice. We’ve got a cohort of Year 12s and 13s who will ask you some really horrible questions.”
The staff in general were super supportive, and one thing Sedbergh does very well is preparing you for your next steps through careers advice and exposing you to lots of different options and pathways.