Sabden man thanks college for supporting his civil engineering career aspiration

Robert Gregg (37), from Sabden, is a development support technician in Lancashire County Council’s Highways and Transport department, and is well on the way to achieving a distinction in the HNC Construction and Built Environment qualification he is studying with the college.

Robert left school with no GCSE qualifications, and after studying Level 1 and 2 Motor Engineering at Accrington and Rossendale College almost 20 years ago, he drifted into operational civil engineering working on projects across the UK and in Ireland, as well as a period working on offshore oil pipelines.

However, with a family on the way and a desire to move into a locally positioned career in a more professional role, Robert decided to call on the services of Accrington and Rossendale College again in 2018 to support his career move.

Robert, who is based at the county council's Burnley depot, said: “Before undertaking the HNC and after 17 years working in the industry, I was still indecisive as to where I wanted to go with my career. Since enrolling onto the course with Accrington and Rossendale College, however, I now have that direction of where I want to go. Committing to enrol onto the course and demonstrating application to achieve a qualification also helped me to secure my current role at Lancashire County Council. Coming back into academic learning was quite a daunting prospect when I started in my mid-thirties, especially having no qualifications from school. I had achieved around 15 construction qualifications over the years, but there was nothing academic or anything that would support a career on the professional side of the sector.

“The teaching at the college has been fantastic and I’ve felt comfortable and at home in the classroom. My progress over the last year would not be possible without the quality of teaching that I have received and the content in the course which has developed my knowledge."

He added: "A combination of studying a career-relevant qualification and the insight of my experienced tutors at college has also given me the encouragement to become recognised with the Engineering Council and become a full member of the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation. My next aim is to undertake a Bachelor of Engineering degree in civil engineering and work towards becoming a charted civil engineer in the next five years.”