We spoke to BEng Professional Engineering student James about his experience on the course and how it has shaped his career in the electricity supply industry...
The primary reason I chose to study at Aston University was due to its affiliation with my then-employer, Sterling Power Group. This company not only partnered with the university but also provided some of the power systems operational training at their training facility, which was integrated into certain engineering modules. This collaboration made the course the most industry-specific program available in the UK for my field of electrical power engineering, combining real-world practical training with engineering theory.
What aspect of the course stood out the most for you?
The highlight of my course was undertaking the work-based research project. I really valued being able to pick a topic that I was interested in, but that was also very relevant to the company that I was working in at the time and the wider electricity supply industry that I was becoming a serving member of. In hindsight, I realise more now that the work-based project presents a huge opportunity for students to carve a career path in their sector that they will find interesting and fulfilling, and also make themselves well sought after. If you can pick a topic in an emerging sub-field, you can make yourself somewhat of a technical authority on that subject by the end of the project, making you well placed to be picked for the jobs and career opportunities that are of most interest to you.
What have you found most rewarding about the course?
I enjoyed the fact that the course learning took place whilst also starting to do the real job at work. Unlike traditional full-time higher education, I was able to start using (and, therefore, cementing in my mind) all of the theory that I was studying on the course, in almost real-time. This made the study work seem far more relevant and meaningful, and also meant that I got exposed to situations at work where I might realise I hadn’t properly understood some of the theory, and was then able to correct that understanding before completing a particular module. All leading to a much better depth of understanding of the subject matter, that I have retained in my memory for much longer.
What did you think about the teaching throughout your course?
I thought the teaching was generally excellent. You could tell that most of the lecturers had plenty of industry experience of real world engineering application, which helped them provide better context why we needed to learn certain topics in certain ways. Lecturers were always very friendly and helpful to anyone who needed further support or explanations, and it was clear that they were passionate about their profession and developing strong engineering graduates for the industries they had served in.
Which skills have you gained from this course and how have you applied them in your job?
All of the technical engineering principles learned on the course have been the foundation of all my job roles for the last 10 years since graduating. Earlier on in my career, the detailed technical calculation and modelling skills I learned were used more to undertake my day-to-day work activities in power system modelling and substation design. As I progressed in my career into more engineering management roles, the knowledge and skills learned from the course became more about giving me good instincts for when something didn’t sound right on projects, and knowing how to investigate and mitigate issue before they become a problem. This is why it is so important to learn and really understand engineering from first principles and not just learn a few methods that allow you to pass an exam: in the real-world, rarely are two problems or scenarios the same and you need to develop sound judgement for how to apply base principles appropriately to solving unique problems. And the Aston University professional engineering course, being done in conjunction with ongoing industry work experience, does a great job of engraining those engineering principles in its graduates and setting them up for success in this regard..
Has the course led to promotion, or a new job with another employer?
Absolutely! I now lead an entire UK engineering business and have had several senior leadership roles in a couple of power system engineering organisations in the 10 years since graduating from the course. None of this would have been possible if I did not have the qualification from this course or the solid engineering foundation it gave me, upon which I was able to excel in my field.