Vocational graduation for e-learning engineer
Aligning academic aspirations with commercial needs is not always an easy task, and rarely a priority for businesses. In Derby , a unique online degree has given a local man and his company the building blocks to bridge the gap, and the result has been a success for both employee and employer.
John Blundell, 52, has become one of the first people in the country to literally ‘build’ and graduate with a Masters degree planned, managed and supported over the internet.
A senior design engineer at the Derby business of global engineering company ALSTOM, John graduated at the end of January from the University of Derby . He gained his MSc in Combustion, Fuels and Performance Modelling through learndirect learning through work, a personalised, work-based route to higher qualifications. As a result, he was promoted to become a principal engineer just weeks after completing his course.
“I wanted to extend my technical skills and develop my career,” explains John, “and the next level meant studying for an MSc. I’m fortunate enough to be working in a subject I enjoy and find constantly interesting and challenging, and learndirect learning through work enabled me to create a course based on what I do on a day-to-day basis, and follow it without leaving my desk.”
John worked with a mentor at ALSTOM – a more experienced engineer – and with a tutor at the University of Derby to design modules based on his work and extending to other areas of interest and research.
John continues: “Rather than being restricted to modules that were already available and following something irrelevant just for the sake of it, I could tailor each section of my course to my own and ALSTOM’s needs. It was actually quite fulfilling to see the course start to take shape. You feel you’ve had a hand in it, and there’s a real sense of owning your own learning. The result was it never became boring or hard work, because I was always learning something I wanted and needed to know about.”
learndirect learning through work is an online platform which allows people to assemble their own graduate or postgraduate qualifications within a framework that can be supported and accredited by participating universities. It also allows learners to ‘chat’ online with other learners, and access tutorial support.
“Work based learning is something I really thrive on”, continues John, “and I already knew distance learning suited me. I never did that well at school, and left with only a few O Levels, but when I got into engineering learning just took off for me. I did my first degree in Mathematics at The Open University at the age of 28, fitting it around my job.
“With learndirect learning through work I could talk to my mentor, Keith Johnson, about my research findings and he helped me develop my ideas. Meanwhile my tutor at the University of Derby was always available on the phone, email or web to answer any questions and look at my assignments. She even put me in contact with other tutors at the university if I needed advice in their particular area of expertise.”
John started his course four years ago and has completed modules in mathematics, computer programming and combustion engineering, all tailored to his work and all supported over the internet. His final project pooled his research and skills in the critical analysis of a computer programme to mathematically predict combustion performance.
He says: “I’m delighted that at 52 I’ve had the opportunity to get my MSc. There’s been great satisfaction in turning my work into a qualification and therefore getting wider recognition for it. The software I critically analysised predicts levels of unburnt carbon in ash when firing a range of world coals. This analysis enabled me to gain an understanding of the fundamental principles and methods adopted, and this will be extremely useful within the department. As well as being great for me it’s actually been of benefit to the company too.”
ALSTOM has a strong ethos of professional development for its employees, but John is the first person to have turned his job into a Masters degree. Head of HR at the Derby site is Wendy Taylor. She explained: “We take on projects for various customers which include reducing greenhouse gas emissions from combustion equipment. The technology and the legislation are constantly changing, so it’s vital our engineers are on top of the latest developments. Supporting Continuing Professional Development is key to attracting and retaining good staff, and also in keeping the company competitive.
“There’s only a very small team here and it’s all hands on deck to meet deadlines, so having a senior engineer like John out of the building for long periods just wouldn’t have been possible. With learning through work, John didn’t have to take much time out because he had the flexibility to fit his learning around work and base it on work projects. By supporting his studies we’ve not only got a more motivated and skilled engineer, but the very practical output in the form of research analysis that will be used on future projects. As an investment, John’s learning has already paid off.”
The University of Derby has been working with learndirect on the learning through work platform for five years. So far, more than 400 people have gained higher level qualifications or credits across the country, 340 of them through the University of Derby .
Dr David Young, Head of Learning Through Work within the School of Flexible and Partnership Learning at the University, adds: “The University of Derby has a long history of vocational education, offering apprenticeships as long ago as the 1950s. Derby ’s approach to learndirect learning through work sees us updating that tradition for people in today’s workforce.
“Our education system has a tendency to polarise the academic and the vocational, and learndirect learning through work is evidence that the two have both synergy and potential, in this case brought together through the internet. Certainly we see helping people design and follow higher level courses within the workplace is a great complement to the more traditional courses of study available at the University of Derby . In John’s case, he has done a lot of hard work and original research over the last three years. We were delighted to see him graduate with such a distinguished result at the Assembly Rooms in Derby with the rest of this year’s students.”
John concludes: “Gaining my MSc has been a long and rewarding process, and I can safely say it’s changed me. I’ve become more confident as my technical skills have developed because I’ve tackled things I wouldn’t have tackled or even thought about before. It’s widened my horizons both intellectually and professionally. I’ve definitely gained from it, and I think ALSTOM would say the same.”