Josh is Engineering his future with SERC

Josh Attwood, currently based in the Kingdom of Bahrain, proves that distance holds no bounds for someone who wants to turn their work experience into professional recognition with South Eastern Regional College (SERC).

Josh, 26, originally from Kent, is Operations Manager with the Dredging Corporation of Bahrain has just been awarded, through SERC, a Level 6 City and Guilds Award for Professional Recognition in Engineering Management which is comparable to a bachelor’s degree. The qualification offers the opportunity for professionals to gain an accredited qualification which recognises their excellence in a chosen vocational field. In addition, not only is Josh achieving a Professional Recognition Award, he will be granted an internationally recognised post nominal GCGI (Graduateship City & Guilds Institute) qualification and certificate.

Following 4 years as a Fitter, with the British Army’s Royal Engineers, Josh joined a maritime consultancy in Bahrain as a superintendent, adapting his experience to a marine engineering environment where he was responsible for the continued maintenance of vessels and plant machinery operated by the company. After that he commenced working for the Dredging Corporation of Bahrain as Operations Manager, responsible for the management of staff, safety, quality assurance and day-to-day operational tasks. Josh said, “I am delighted to have turned my work skills and experience into a Level 6 qualification which gives recognition to all that I have achieved since leaving school.

He said, “I first heard about the City & Guilds Professional Recognition Award qualification at SERC through the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). I am currently working towards attaining IEng registration and this seemed like a good step towards reaching that goal. So I got in touch to see how to enrol and complete the qualification.

He added, “The process for gathering evidence was fairly straight forward. I received a lot of guidance from my mentor, Paul Henry at SERC, who advised me of the process. I did a couple of hours each day in my free time until I compiled all the evidence into a portfolio. Although I knew I had plenty of experience, it is only when you gather it methodically, you get to see all that you have achieved.

“I would definitely recommend the qualification to anyone, even if you don’t meet certain criteria for the level you would like to pursue, you can build on it as you develop in your career until you do. It’s a good method for recording Continuing Professional Development as it highlights particular areas that you might want to focus. In addition, it is up to the individual how quickly you want to get the qualification. It took me around 3 months working steadily to gather my evidence prepare it for presentation.

He concluded, “My main goal is to become a registered Chartered Engineer which is part of the reason I took on this qualification. I would eventually like to work for a large engineering company, as I like the challenge and sense of achievement that comes with it.”

Paul Henry, Lead Business Manager in the Business Services Team at SERC said, “The Professional Recognition Award (PRA 4-7) scheme recognises individuals for their current and/or recent supervisory or management experiences and follows the 6 standards for provision of evidence in a portfolio. This PRA is particularly beneficial for candidates who may have come to a senior level within a company following a practical route, rather than an academic route, and are very capable, competent individuals. The awards enable candidates to demonstrate their knowledge and skills within any sector or role.”

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