South Tyneside Marine College have teamed up with Northumbria University to offer a new Foundation Degree for Electro Technical Officers (ETO). This is the first year the course will be running and is the only training facility in the country offering this pilot qualification. 
The Foundation Degree for ETO’s covers a range of electronic and electrical topics including marine management, health and safety and work based learning amongst others.
Various leading marine companies including BP, Chiltern Maritime, Bibby Line, ADNATCO, ACERGY, and Global Marine Systems have signed up and sponsored students through their degrees where they will graduate as fully qualified Electro Technical Officers.
Felix Brooks, aged 22 from Gloucestershire is being sponsored by Chiltern Maritime through his foundation degree at South Tyneside College and he has high hopes for the future.
‘I have just finished a BENG in Fire Explosion Engineering at Leeds University and I worked as laboratory technician whist I was there. I was looking for a career where I could use my degree combining my love for sailing and ambition to travel the world, this career path and course was perfect for me.’
‘I would like to have a long career at sea and then eventually get a job onshore, I want to get as far in this career as possible. I am looking forward to gaining more experience whilst studying so that I can achieve this goal.’
The course is not just for students leaving education, Andrew George, aged 27 from the West Midlands worked as a manufacturing engineer for ten years before choosing a career at sea. He comments,
‘I was fortunate to get sponsored by Chiltern Maritime, I was ready for a career change and I wanted to see the world. The opportunities working as an Electro Technical Officer match my life ambition whilst learning a new trade. I’m looking forward to expanding my knowledge and learning new skills, a career at sea is definitely for me.’
Students on this course have high ambitions and expectations James McGregor, aged 20 from North Shields and Stephen Gallagher, aged 21 from Luton both want to reach the top of their careers and become Superintendents.
Stephen comments,
‘There are so many opportunities in the marine industry, eventually I would like an onshore role, but I’m very happy at the moment and looking forward to stretching my sea legs!’
All four students will have their first experience at sea in March 2010 when they set sail for four and a half months. They will then return to South Tyneside College to continue learning the theory behind becoming an ETO before returning to sea in March 2011.
Once the students have completed the foundation degree they have the option of ‘topping up’ their qualification through further study to achieve a full degree.
For more information about the Marine College at South Tyneside College call 0191 427 3900 or e mail marine@stc.ac.uk
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