A military engineer has swapped the frontline for the design studio as part of a British Army training scheme designed to improve the skills of service personnel.

Royal Engineer Will Stott, 29, who lives at Waterbeach, has joined the Cambridge office of property and construction consultancy Ingleton Wood on a six-month work placement.

Designed as a fast track programme for gaining chartered engineer status with a professional institution, the MoD scheme sees Army students complete a two-year course.

The course includes a masters level qualification in military construction engineering with Cranfield University, a nine-month placement at a major building contractor and a six-month placement at a design office.

Will said: “This scheme is an excellent opportunity for me to build on my skills and improve my design capabilities, preparing me for when I’m eventually deployed around the world with the MoD.”

Mike Miller, Head of Structural Engineering at Ingleton Wood’s Cambridge office, said: “We’re delighted to have Will on board.

“These placements offer students a great opportunity to broaden their experience and improve key engineering competencies – preparing them for the real world when they are out on the frontline.”