Former marine Andrew fights his way to new career
Andrew Withers joined the marines straight from school before later becoming a plasterer. Poor GCSE results had prohibited Andrew from starting a new career path in the past so he decided to take on further qualifications in the hope of starting something new.
Andrew chose to study for a National Diploma in Electrical Engineering at Middlesbrough College where he felt the state-of-the-art facilities combined with the convenience of the college’s location suited his needs perfectly.
Since finishing the course with a triple distinction, the 29 year-old former marine now has a range of options available to him. Andrew has been offered a place at University, the chance to study a master’s degree and a job programming automated assembly robots for the Nissan car plant in Sunderland – the route he intends to take.
Andrew said: “I’m really happy to leave here with a triple distinction, I can’t wait to start my new job with Nissan.
“The course here has been great, me and a few of the lads met some students who had all studied HNC’s in Electrical Engineering (Higher National Certificates – a more advanced course) at another college the other day and we were head and shoulders above them.”
Many of Andrew’s course mates also achieved excellent results. Jonny O’Brien, 18, and Sam Pennington, 19, also received triple distinctions and both plan to continue studying Electrical Engineering at Teesside University after a well deserved summer holiday.