Scott Smith - GA BEng (Hons) Instrumentation, Measurement and Control

Scott Smith had been working in the energy sector for seven years but knew he would benefit from higher education.

The 30-year-old from Brora crossed the P&J Live stage to accept his Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Instrumentation Measurement and Control after balancing his full-time job with his studies.

Scott’s course was a Graduate Apprenticeship (GA) which are designed around the needs of business and industry and allow employees to continue to work while earning their degree over the course of four years.

He said: “Having worked in oil and gas industry for seven years before attending university, I realised that the next step in furthering my career was to undertake further education.

“I went to college from secondary school. I then got a job in Aberdeen working for Wood. I then partook in a graduate apprenticeship programme where I studied degree alongside my full-time job.

“This course was very closely related to the area of expertise that my job role involved. It was a logical choice to broaden my understanding of the subject through further education.”

During the duration of his GA, Scott was working with Aberdeen-based Wood Group, and the former Golspie High School pupil secured a first-class degree.

He is now working as an instrument and systems engineer for CNOOC in Aberdeen and feels satisfied to have successfully completed the programme.

Scott said the GA allowed him “flexibility” and he also has a new set of skills that he can use in his current role.

He said: “I am very proud to have achieved a good result and learned so much from my time studying at RGU. Although not the first person to ever hold down a full-time job while studying, it does make the achievement feel special.

“One of the highlights I found from undertaking the course was the flexibility offered by RGU through this way of studying. Although there were a lot of challenges, RGU endeavoured to offer support where they could. It was also interesting to see the differences in style between an industrial and academic environment.

“Having completed my studies, I have already been able to put my degree to good use and progress my career to the next level with a change in role at a new organisation. My time at “RGU has also allowed me to develop skills that I previously did not have, which stands me in good stead for my career development.”