19 year old Tyler Reed from Lickey Hills, has just completed his Level 3 in Electrical Engineering at Bournville College and will progress to the Foundation Degree in Engineering (Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Mechatronic and Robotic Engineering pathways) in September.
Tyler always knew that he wanted to be an engineer, so at just 16 he visited the University of Birmingham to ask them their entry criteria and was told A Levels. Unfortunately, finding out that he got a grade D in GCSE English, meant he was prevented from studying A Levels, just three days before he was due to start.
With his dreams in tatters and thoroughly disheartened, Tyler visited a Bournville College open day to find out what else he could do with his life. After speaking to tutors and enrolling onto Level 2 Electrical Engineering, Tyler regained his motivation and got his dream back on course, when he learned that A Levels are not the only route into university.
During his time at college, Tyler has taken advantage of the Career Ready programme. Career Ready is a national charity that aims to make young people work ready by delivering mentoring, master classes, workplace visits and internships. Through a mentor and work experience, Tyler has learned about project management in building construction and civil engineering.
Hydraulics, gearing and the mechanical elements of robotics will be the pathway he will follow during his last two years at Bournville, before Tyler heads to University of Birmingham for the final year of his degree.
Although Tyler’s plans after university are not yet set in stone, he is liking the idea of six months of travelling the world, followed by six months of work experience in mechatronics, before returning to the University of Birmingham to study for a PhD.
When asked what advice he would give to his 16-year-old self, Tyler said, “The same advice I gave to my 16-year-old brother just a couple of months ago. Don’t stress too much about GCSE exams. You don’t need A Levels to get to university.”
Tyler’s brother will be following in his footsteps to study engineering at Bournville College come September, where he will be studying Level 3 Mechanical Engineering.