Emily Yap is a Graduate Engineer at Edwards UK, based in Burgess Hill, working within the Vacuum Technique Technology (VT Technology) team. As part of the graduate programme, Emily is building on her academic foundations through hands‑on engineering work, contributing to technical projects while developing her skills in a fast‑paced industrial environment.
Now that you’ve met Emily, let’s hear directly from her. From discovering her path into engineering and reflecting on the moments she’s most proud of, to those “Yeah… I’m actually doing this” realisations and ...., here’s what Emily had to say about her early careers journey.
How did you figure out what you actually wanted to do or are you still figuring it out?
At school, I always gravitated toward maths and science, while subjects like history or English never clicked for me. I avoided writing essays and couldn’t understand why I had to use long, complicated sentences when short, simple ones worked just as well. Because of that, I always knew I wanted a career rooted in STEM.
At first, I thought I wanted to become a vet because I loved animals. I completed the full pre‑vet path throughout secondary school and college, but I soon realised I was more fascinated by the equipment and mechanical aspects than by treating the animals themselves (has anyone ever seen a chicken with a prosthetic leg?). A careers advisor then suggested I explore medical engineering - at the time, I didn’t even fully understand what an engineer actually did.
As I researched different courses and specialities, mechanical engineering stood out as both the broadest discipline and the one that interested me most. Since then, I’ve taken every opportunity I could find - a year in industry with Edwards, a semester abroad in South Korea, and a 10‑month placement with Edwards in Czechia as a graduate – and I have loved every one of them. Each one has felt like another piece in the jigsaw puzzle that is me and makes me the engineer and person I am to this day.
I can’t say I know exactly where I’ll be in 5 or 10 years, but I do know that I love creating things, developing products, solving problems, and working in varied environments. I believe following what I enjoy will lead me to a career I love, rather than one I simply try to “complete” and so I like to keep my mind open, even to opportunities I would not have considered or expected before.
What’s a moment in your early careers journey that you’re most proud of and why does it stand out?
As a placement student, one of my proudest moments was filing my first ever patent with my manager for a version of an anti‑rotation device on a scroll pump. A close second was the day I received my graduate offer. I’ve always loved working for Edwards, so finding out I’d been invited back after finishing my degree was incredibly exciting.
As a graduate, I’ve now completed my third of four placements. At the end of each placement, I present my work to a range of people. Although I find these presentations stressful (how do you summarise 6–10 months of experience in just one hour?), they’re a great opportunity to reflect on how I’ve grown, how my approach has evolved, and how each experience has shaped the way I work and solve problems. One highlight has been working on the same project in PC Lutin, as a graduate, that I had helped develop in the GTC (in the UK) as a placement student.
As a graduate, I’ve now completed my third of four placements. At the end of each placement, I present my work to a range of people. Although I find these presentations stressful (how do you summarise 6–10 months of experience in just one hour?), they’re a great opportunity to reflect on how I’ve grown, how my approach has evolved, and how each experience has shaped the way I work and solve problems. One highlight has been working on the same project in PC Lutin, as a graduate, that I had helped develop in the GTC (in the UK) as a placement student.
Outside of engineering, I organised the first Water for All charity walk, which raised around £21,000 for the charity. The fundraising from everyone involved was incredible, and I loved seeing colleagues the following week grabbing coffees with people they’d met and sharing stories from the walk. I was proud to have helped create that sense of community."
What’s the one moment in your early careers journey that made you think, ‘Yeah… I’m actually doing this’?
"I organised my first site visit for some major suppliers, and I was the one in charge - leading the technical discussions as well as the strip‑down of several failed pumps. It was one of the first moments where I thought, “Oh no… they’ve really trusted the future of this project, our supplier relationships, and a lot of money on me”. During the event I quickly settled into the flow and trusted my knowledge of the product and in the end, the visit went really well, and we came away with some great actions."
