Dylan Hill studied at Newcastle College for five years and is now a Project Manager at Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult in Blyth.

Over the last year he has been employed as a Product and Process Intern with Gate 7, a role he gained as part of the University Centre’s Stay and Succeed Project. The project allowed Computing and Engineering graduates from Newcastle College University Centre to gain a 12-month internship with local employers.

We spoke with Dylan to find out about his time as a Stay and Succeed Intern and how he felt this experience helped him to prepare for the role he has now.

What made you decide to apply for your internship?

Stay and Succeed was promoted to us through the University Centre. I went to the event and presented my dissertation and spoke to a few employers and shortly after was offered two internships. At this point it was at the start of the pandemic and the job market was really volatile so it was the perfect time for this opportunity. The internship allowed me to keep links with Newcastle College University Centre because I was allocated time to speak to teachers as part of the job so I was never thrown in at the deep end. If I found another job elsewhere I’d have been on my own going into the industry.

How did you find the time on your internship?

It was an industry that I didn't even know existed before so it was all brand new to me and I enjoyed doing it. It was different to what I’d studied at the University Centre, but all the skills and engineering knowledge I gained was transferable. Being on an internship, I wasn’t expected to know everything, so it felt like working and being in education at the same time.

How do you feel that your education and internship prepared you for working in industry?

A lot of people say they’ve never used anything they’ve learnt from university in their jobs, but I have. Despite choosing to do Mechanical Engineering as my Top-Up and not Project Management, I now work as a project manager. Within the course I learnt about product development and agile project management, which I could talk about in interviews. Leaving my degree, I had qualifications but I needed some real experience behind me. The internship gave me that, as well as the skills and industry knowledge to apply for this role. The transferable skills and project management experience I gained through my internship was what led to me being offered this job.

What are your ambitions for the future?

If I keep enjoying this role like I am at the moment, it's definitely something I'd like to progress further into, both in this career and working in the renewables industry. Since starting my Level 3 I knew I wanted to work in offshore and that's where I see myself always working. It's the future of enterprise, especially in the North East, because there's a lot of offshore manufacturing and supply chain companies in the region. It’s a massive growth spot for the UK and it’s the industry I definitely want to stay in.

Learn more about our Renewable and Subsea Engineering courses here.