Carl Ennis: The power of paying it forward

Can you pinpoint the exact moment when your life’s path changed?

For Carl Ennis, he was 16.

After leaving school, Rochdale-born Ennis knew that his interests were less academic and more practical, so he started an apprenticeship to become a car mechanic.

It was during this apprenticeship that tutors saw a spark in him. Ennis said:

“During the course of my apprenticeship, the tutors who were teaching me identified that perhaps I had the ability to go beyond that.”

As a result, he switched to a technical apprenticeship and continued his education with his employer’s backing.

“I was lucky to have an employer who saw potential in me. And that’s when I first came into contact with Manchester Metropolitan University and started to take my degree in Integrated Engineering Systems on a part-time basis.”

After university, Ennis welcomed the work that came his way. He added: “I was really lucky to have opportunities presented to me during my career, but I was also pretty keen on embracing those opportunities and taking that chance.

“And then I found myself a few years ago with the opportunity to be appointed as the CEO of Siemens in GB and Ireland, and as someone who set off with the aspiration to be a car mechanic, I was pretty pleased with that.”

It’s the chances that Ennis has had in his career that have made him determined to pay it forward to the next generation.

One way Ennis and Siemens are helping others is through their partnership with Manchester Met. Together, the organisations are championing alternative routes into higher education.

Degree apprenticeships

In 2019, Manchester Met partnered with Siemens to offer degree apprenticeships.

These hybrid courses allow apprentices to gain an undergraduate or masters degree while they work. The government and the employer cover the funding, and the apprentice earns while they study.

As the leading university provider for degree apprenticeships, Manchester Met works closely with industry partners to tailor the curriculum.

There are Employer Advisory Boards twice a year for each programme, where employers like Siemens can come along and contribute to programme development and share updates on industry changes.

Ennis said of the partnership: “We’ve been working with Manchester Met to develop a curriculum that really fits our requirements.”

When discussing how the partnership supports Siemens, Ennis said: “Having people joining us from Manchester Met allows us to train our people with the ability to be flexible and to be open to those new challenges. So that whatever technology comes along next, we’ll be ready for it and have people who’ll embrace it.”

He continued: “We’re not just taking vanilla students from a university, but the right flavour we need.”

Aris Christos Alexoulis Chrysovergis, a senior lecturer in mechatronics at Manchester Met, spoke of the benefits for both students and industry:

“Degree apprenticeships take a more practical approach to learning. Students get academic experience, but they also get hands-on, real-life experience with industry.”

He added: “Career prospects for the apprentices are improved, and in turn, businesses like Siemens get access to highly skilled people with work experience straight off their degree.”

Apprentice success stories

Since Manchester Met’s partnership with Siemens, 11 employees have graduated with degree apprenticeships.

Ben Parry, a newly graduated Software Engineer, revealed what drew him to this type of course: “I didn’t really want to go to university for four years and then go into a programming position where they required an additional two years of experience.

“The degree apprenticeship, which involved four years of experience and my entire course getting paid for me, with pay on top of that, seemed like a no-brainer.”

Howard Smith, who has worked at Siemens in Congleton for 14 years and is currently Faculty Quality Manager, undertook the Master of Business Administration Degree Apprenticeship in 2020.

When reflecting on the help he received, Smith said: “The support from both sides, from Manchester Met and Siemens, was fantastic.

“And without the support of both of those functions, it would’ve made it so much more difficult to balance work and academic studies at the same time.”

Smith looks to pay it forward where he can. He added: “So, with my team now, I look to develop as many people as possible.

“People come to me and say I want to learn, and that’s fantastic because I’m a big believer that you should develop people and keep developing people.”