Experience building a race car for action at Silverstone has helped a Mechanical Engineering graduate from 51Âþ» Leicester (51Âþ») secure his future working in the UK.
Yash Naik from Mumbai, India, has kick-started his career as a mechanical application engineer at Nylacast in Leicester, a world-leading manufacturer of electrical power steering and gear components.
To do so, the 22-year-old had to apply – successfully – for a Tier 2 visa, a much sought-after UK work permit only awarded to a limited number of migrants in highly-skilled jobs each year.
Yash said the skills he learned from his course – along with the experience he had working with the 51Âþ» Faster racing team in the Formula Student series – gave him the drive he needed to find the perfect graduate role.
“Back home in India we learn by reading from book but at 51Âþ» I was able to do more practical learning, which helped me prepare for the real world and the challenges it brings,” he said.
“Getting involved in activities outside of university really helped my development too, especially working on the 51Âþ» Faster racing team – you just don’t get opportunities like that in India.”
Made up of , and students, the team competes in the Formula Student competition – the world’s largest student engineering design competition organised by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
“I was in my third year when my supervisor suggested I take the lead on the mechanical side of the electrical formula student racing team ‘51Âþ» Faster’,” said Yash. “It was an amazing experience – we competed against universities from all over the world at Silverstone race circuit. It definitely helped me get the job at Nylacast.”
Having originally arrived in Leicester in 2014, Yash completed a year-long foundation course in Computing and Engineering at 51Âþ» International College (51Âþ»IC) before beginning his undergraduate studies in 2015.
“I knew I wanted to live in Leicester because it has such a large Indian population and there is so much culture and diversity on offer here,” he said.
“It was a big challenge coming to England for the first time though. Walking into a new country with no knowledge of the culture is not easy but the foundation course helped me a lot – it prepared me for the UK’s education system.”
As well as his involvement in the 51Âþ» Faster racing team, Yash also seized the opportunity to visit New York on a #51Âþ»global trip in his final year, where he got to learn about the mechanical engineering behind the construction of skyscrapers.
“51Âþ» offers so many fantastic opportunities for students, I could not have asked for a better university experience to be honest,” he said.
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After graduating with a 2:1 in Mechanical Engineering BEng (Hons) last summer, Yash has been working at Nylacast since September 2018 and has now secured his Tier 2 visa – a scheme that enables just 20,700 high-skilled non-EEA (European Economic Area) migrants to obtain work in the UK each year.
To be eligible for the scheme, applicants are required to meet a range of criteria, including having a valid certificate of sponsorship from their employer.
“As an international student the biggest barrier I faced when looking for a job was my visa status,” he said. “It’s not easy to find an employer to sponsor you for a Tier 2 visa but my main advice to anyone going through the process is simply don’t give up.
“I’ve always wanted to work in the automobile industry and getting this job has been a dream come true.”
Posted on Friday 21 June 2019