Engineering a first class degree of success

Ross Harper says studying at Teesside University helped him to engineer a path to his chosen career.

Ross, 23, of Saltburn, who graduates with a first class BEng (Hons) Chemical Engineering, also won the Cecil M Yuill Prize for achievement in any field. He is now working as a process engineer for Foster Wheeler Energy Ltd in Middlesbrough.

His current role involves process simulation, mass and energy balances, creating and developing process flow diagrams and P&ID (piping and instrumentation) diagrams and report writing.

Ross said: 'I decided to study at Teesside as I’d heard really good reports about the University from past students and also because of its location, it has the chemical industry on its doorstep.

'I most enjoyed the technical aspects of the course, especially in subject such as reaction engineering, mass transfer operations and thermodynamics.'

He added: 'I completed a 12-month placement at Foster Wheeler during the degree, which was seen as a year-long job interview. It led me to gain a place on their graduate scheme once I’d finished my degree.

'I really feel the degree at Teesside University helped to prepare me for a career in engineering. Foster Wheeler is a design consultancy, therefore it’s essential that I understand chemical processes, along with the associated equipment function from first principles.

'You have to be proactive in chemical engineering and all the resources you need to do this are available at the University. The subject is taught extremely well and the lecturers always try to help and offer support.'

He added: 'Being able to complete a placement during the degree not only helped me to secure a job, but I was able to take the experience I’d gained from working on the placement back to my studies during the final year of the degree.'

Ross, who is now looking at working towards achieving chartership, said: 'I really enjoyed my time at Teesside and would like to thank the lecturers for all the help they provided. I’ve developed a lot as a person from when I started my degree.'

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