It’s time to introduce UCW Engineering Student Callum!
Callum is currently studying the BEng Aerospace engineering Design Apprenticeship, studying at the GKN Global Technology Centre (GTC) in Bristol.
We asked Callum; what does a typical day in your life look like?
“Firstly, I arrive at 8:00 ready for tutor where I get myself ready for learning by grabbing a laptop from the back of the room and logging in. We usually discuss a topic from the news. Then at 8:30 the lecture starts. On a Thursday I study Structural Mechanics. Kuda (my lecturer) will go through some of his notes and the PowerPoint slide and then will ask us to answer a tutorial question. Once we have answered its normally time for break. I go to the GKN building to play pool for half an hour with my friends.
“Next, I’ll go back to the lesson where we finish the rest of the tutorial questions. Once this is done, I’ll chat with friends about the course and discuss deadlines coming up. At lunch I go back to the GKN building to eat lunch and play pool. Then I go to my next lecture in a GKN training room where I have Engineering Practice 2. This is where Akshay, another of my lecturers, will go through the PowerPoint whilst answering any questions we have about the topic.
“Once that is done, we have another break where I go back to the GKN building for 15mins. Once break is over, I head back to lesson to do the tutorial. Normally I will finish the tutorial before the end of lesson so as a group we’ll discuss assignments coming up. Once the lesson has finished, I hand back my laptop from where I got it that morning before walking home.”
Callum studies at the GKN Global Technology Centre (GTC) in Bristol. This is a £32m facility which uses cutting edge technology designed for the aerospace industry. The facilities are perfect for Callum:
“The facilities the classroom rooms have laptops in one room and space on your desk to write notes from the smart board. In the second classroom there are fast PCs which we can use for software in relation to our studies, such as analysis.
“GKN have given us access to their innovation room where we can 3D print anything we want. We also have access to their down-time room next to the canteen where we can go to relax between lecturers.
“These facilities have given me the skills to work with simulation software and given me needed experienced of their software’s that I will possibly need in work.”
Even while studying at the GTC, Callum has access to the excellent support offered by UCW. Callum spoke about the support he receives:
“My favourite thing about UCW is the support I have received due to my dyslexia, The support included giving me access to websites to help with spelling and grammar and giving me the opportunity to answer questions for my NVQ by speaking to an assessor instead of writing it down. I was also given access to a person to help read through my work and check for errors.
“The knowledge I have gained through UCW has set me perfectly up for work. This knowledge was both educational and good for general work and life experience. The experience has shined a light onto aerospace which has been invaluable to how I work. This has tremendously helped me grow into the person I am today.”
We asked Callum about his lecturers and how they have impacted on his journey:
“The lecturers have helped me progress unimaginably from when I started. This is down to how they structure and maximise the time they give me to understand. This is from having an hour lecture and then having the rest of the time spent doing tutorials which helps cement the equations I learnt during the lecture.
Finally, we asked Callum what his ambitions for the future are after he graduates from UCW.
“My ambitions for the future have always been at the front of my mind, and currently I am wanting to join a British Formula One team. This is because the competitiveness of the team will help me strive to be the best version of myself while having a lot of enjoyment as I work with very well experienced colleagues.
“This opportunity also allows me to still work with aerodynamics but with an opposite direction compared to aircraft. This job would also put me in the field where everyone and everything you work with is cutting edge and I would have the best technologically advanced equipment at my disposal.
“My time at UCW was a great step in my career as it gave me everything I needed to achieve as best I could. This was thanks to the lecturers, lectures, facilities and level 2 NVQ which gave me an understanding of composites which was a completely new area for me.”
Thank you so much to Callum for speaking to us.
To find out more about engineering at UCW click here!
