Keith McKinley, Higher Level Apprenticeship, Electronic Engineering
21-year-old Keith McKinley from Londonderry spoke about his experience of studying a Higher Level Apprenticeship in Electronic Engineering at North West Regional College:
‘’Before I came to the college, I completed my A-Levels at Foyle College and took a year out. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after my exams but I knew I didn’t want to go straight to university as I wanted a break. I saw the Higher Level Apprenticeship advertisement on Facebook and decided to apply for it.
‘’I’ve always had an interest in learning about how things work so I decided to give Electronic Engineering a go and I’m glad I did as I really enjoy the Higher Level Apprenticeship.
‘’In terms of assignments, I really liked designing the operational amplifiers and although I did find it quite challenging because I had to test the current in front of my lecturers and if I got one component wrong it would throw the whole thing off, I managed to successfully do it.”
He added: ‘’I also really enjoy working at LacPatrick Dairies and this job opportunity wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the college. I would really recommend people to choose the Higher Level Apprenticeship route if they’re interested in Electronic Engineering because you get more support here at the college than you do at university.
‘’For example, one of my friends studies Electronic Engineering at university and we had a similar assignment to do but he didn’t understand how to do it but I work with the parts everyday at college so I knew what to do.
‘’The Higher Level Apprenticeship is also free which is great because if I was to study at university in England for four years I would be £36,000 in debt and I wouldn’t have the experience needed to get work in the industry.’’
For more information about applying for a Higher Level Apprenticeship in Electronic Engineering, call Columba Toner on 02871276331
