Stephen wins BTEC Student of the Year Award

Super student Stephen Robinson graduated in style when he received his Higher National Diploma and two top prizes at the University of Teesside’s Academic Awards Ceremony.

Now, he has gone one better by being presented with the BTEC Student of the Year award at a special ceremony in the University’s Innovation and Virtual Reality Centre. The award was made by Jayne Smart, regional development manager of Edexcel, the validating body for BTECs.

Stephen, 28, of Alton Road, West Lane, Middlesbrough is married with three children and said he had to juggle his time carefully between study and family commitments, but thoroughly enjoyed the course and has now enrolled straight on to Year Two of the BEng (Hons) Computer Engineering and Microelectronics degree course.

His latest award comes after winning the ICI Science and Engineering Prize and the Institution of Incorporated Engineers Prize during the Academic Awards Ceremony, held last month (November) in Middlesbrough Town Hall, when he also received his HND in Electronic and Computer Engineering.

Stephen said: “I enjoyed doing the HND. It was very much a hand’s on practical course and I am now building on the HND by continuing my studies on the degree course. The University of Teesside is an excellent place to study. It is a university which welcomes all, even if you don’t have traditional entry requirements like A’levels. It certainly gave me the opportunity to fulfil my potential. The academic staff have an open and helpful attitude and there are some excellent facilities like the Learning Resource Centre.”

He said he had always been interested in electronics and recalls getting into trouble as a child for dismantling toys, such as Big Track, to find out how they worked. He was a security systems service supervisor before enrolling on the HND at the University of Teesside

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