Ronan Wilson

Tell us a bit about yourself and your background.

My name’s Ronan, I’m from Berwick-upon-Tweed and I’m very interested the prospects of the renewable energy industry. Alongside my studies, I play cricket and table tennis at Newcastle College. I’m also a huge collector of music, so I own quite a few instruments – I’m not particularly great at playing them, but I’m working on that! I’m also a Leeds United fan like my dad, since my parents hail from Bradford.  

How did you hear about Newcastle College? Did you attend an Open Day prior to starting at the College? If so, did you find it useful?

I heard through the grapevine about an Open Event at the main campus in Newcastle that many of my peers and classmates were attending. I decided to drag my poor mother down from Berwick to attend it, and I’m so glad I did – if it weren’t for the Open Event and the energy engineering courses I’d learnt about there, I don’t know where I’d be, since I didn’t know until then what I wanted to do at all. Once I’d spoken to the tutor from the Energy Academy at the Open Event, I was pretty set on pursuing a career in energy engineering. My mam wasn’t happy about me choosing what I wanted to do so quickly and (to her mind) so carelessly, but now I’m in it, she’s really glad that I made that decision.  

What made you decide to come to the College and enrol on your chosen course?

My course in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (Subsea and Renewables) is structured to teach me the foundations for everything I’ll need for a career in energy engineering. The prospects for that entire industry are really impressive, it’s a big and growing sector which I believe is the future. There’s also a lot of money to be made, and renewable energies are better for the environment anyway, so there was a lot that appealed to me about this course and it’s really worked for me so far!  

How would you describe the advice and support you've received from the College staff and your tutors? Have you had any support from our Central Support Service?

In terms of support, I’d say that I’m quite an independent person. That said, I’ve had a lot of great academic support from the Head of the Energy Academy, my course tutor and my main lecturer – without them, God knows how I’d have got out of some sticky situations! They give me plenty of support across the board, even for smaller-scale problems – for example, I once left my bag in class (bearing in mind that I live in Berwick!) and my tutor told me she’d found it, which is lucky because I’d convinced myself at that point that I’d left my bag in the Metro station!  

Do you have any tutors with industry experience? If so, how has this helped you?

My main lecturer has a PhD in Engineering, so he’s really well-informed about the knowledge I need in the industry. The Head of the Energy Academy has also worked abroad for years in the sector so it’s interesting to hear about his stories from the renewables industry. It’s really great that tutors know exactly what they’re talking about and have years of practical experience to back it up, since it means I’m really getting the best of both worlds as I’m learning the ropes! 

Did you look into financial support available from the College? If so, what support do you receive and how has it helped you?

Yes, I receive a bursary from the College. Since I live quite far award from the Energy Academy, travel can be a bit of a financial struggle, since I get a train and then the Metro onto campus every day. Because of that, I’m eligible for a travel bursary from the College, but also from Northumberland County Council, and I’d definitely recommend getting both bursaries since both together will cover all your travel expenses, while they maybe couldn’t individually. I also receive £5 from the College bursary every day I’m on campus for subsidised meals from Shelly’s Deli down the road from the Energy Academy, which is lovely – the staff there are really friendly and the food’s delicious! 

Have you overcome any challenges while on your course? If so how has the college helped you?  

The first challenge that comes to mind is managing my assignments. If I’m ever unsure whether my assignments are up to standard or don’t meet the right criteria, I can ask my tutors for advice and they’ll help me with any relevant tweaks to make sure that my assignments are produced to a high standard. 

More recently, I had a problem with my UCAS application, because I submitted my application in mid-December but, when the January deadline came, I was notified that my application hadn’t been submitted to the various universities yet. My mam and I talked about how I could get help to sort it out, so I called my tutor at the Energy Academy and, after a full month of issues, they sorted out the problem within one afternoon. It was fantastic – a massive weight was lifted off my shoulders!  

What do you enjoy the most about your course?

There’s quite a lot of things I enjoy, to be honest! I love Computer Aided Design (CAD) when we get to do that, and the fact that I’ve got an actual work tent! I’m also enjoy seeing my progress with maths, because in high school, I wasn’t that fond of doing maths, since I worked my way up the Maths sets in high school but I still felt like I had a lot of catching up to do on my peers by the end; nowadays, I actually look forward to tackling maths tasks and problems – I feel like the College has really helped me to build up my skills! Outside of work, I also really enjoy playing table tennis here at the Energy Academy, I absolutely live for it and love the tournaments we get going during breaks! 

How do you feel that the course is benefitting you?

The main benefit is that my course has helped me to realise what I want to do in my future. It’s awfully surprising that so few colleges or institutions in the UK have energy engineering courses – I could count the number of places that offer renewables programmes on one hand! Without my tutors’ support, I probably wouldn’t have been so set on pursuing a career in the renewables industry, and I certainly wouldn’t be going to university later this year (and picking up a lot of student debt in the process)! My parents were initially encouraging me to do an apprenticeship, since an employer covers training costs for you there, and because no one in my family has been to university before, the idea of student debt scared my parents a bit. Now, thanks to the Energy Academy, I’m more willing to push myself to fulfil my potential.  

Have you done any work experience or a work placement as part of your course?

No, but I did some additional research around my subject to meet the 30 required hours of work experience needed last year, such as YouTube videos of manufacturing techniques or wind turbine function, things like that – they were all very interesting to watch and insightful. My tutors are looking into getting us industry placements for this year as well, but that’s still ongoing. I’m hoping to secure a good placement, because if I’m spending five years at university, I want to make sure that I’ve also got a bit of industry experience under my belt for when I eventually apply to jobs. 

What would you like to do when you finish your course? Would you consider studying a degree at Newcastle College University Centre?

After I complete my current course, I’m going to university to study an Energy Engineering degree. I thought about applying for Newcastle College University Centre, since I know their offer’s really strong and I’d get great support from the staff here at the Energy Academy, but honestly I’m ready to spread my wings – and I’m not sure how much longer I can stay in Wallsend for! I’ve applied for a mixture of Honours Degrees and Integrated Master’s Degrees at Edinburgh Napier, Herriott Watt, Loughborough, Teesside and Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, but I’m most keen on the first two.  

What are your ambitions for the future?

I’m hoping to pursue the highest level of degree I can. Once I finish my degree, I want to get more industry experience to secure a job high up in the renewables industry, then hopefully make enough money to retire early, open my own records shop – ideally in a big city, potentially with a small side-business like a soup kitchen attached to it – and manage that for the rest of my life! 

What would you say to anyone thinking of studying a course with Newcastle College?

I’d say to do your research and know exactly what you want to do. You only live once, so don’t get stuck doing something you don’t enjoy – focus your time doing a subject you love and you’re passionate about! The College gives a lot of support on that front, so you won’t go far wrong. 

What are your top tips for being a student at Newcastle College?

Be nice to your tutors – they don’t get paid enough for the job they do. 

Complete your assignments as soon as possible – if you’re late with an assignment, you might get overwhelmed by stress, so try to keep on top of your workload. 

Don’t be scared to ask for help – tutors and CSS don’t bite, and they’re always here to help! 

Talk to your peers early – no one wants to speak first, so step out your comfort zone and say hi.  

If life gives you a table tennis table, play table tennis!