Five former Ron Dearing students have all graduated with First-Class Honours degrees after completing degree apprenticeships with the same company.
Tom Dubej, Oliver Wilkinson, Matthew Hunter, Alistair Sceats and Jack Waslin have all earned the highest academic classifications in their respective degrees, which they have completed while working in full-time roles with Ron Dearing’s Founding Partner, Spencer Group.
Since joining Spencer Group as engineering apprentices six years ago, the five colleagues have all gained HNC, NVQ and HND qualifications before moving onto undergraduate degrees.
Oliver, Alistair and Jack have completed Civil Engineering Degrees at Leeds Beckett University, with Tom completing a Construction Management Degree, also at Leeds Beckett, and Matthew achieving a Professional Practice in Quantity Surveying Degree at Sheffield Hallam University.
Five former Ron Dearing students have received First-Class Honours Degrees after completing degree apprenticeships at Spencer Group.
Their success highlights the important role that collaboration between employers and educators plays in setting young people up for success as well as alternative pathways for young people to secure further education qualifications without going down the traditional university route.
The new graduates were among the first students to complete their studies in Ron Dearing’s Sixth Form between 2019 and 2020. As a Founding Partner, Spencer Group has played an integral role in the school since it opened in 2017 and created a direct pathway from education into high-value engineering careers.
Spencer Group has employed more than 70 Ron Dearing students in various apprentice roles over the past eight years, building an ongoing pipeline of young talent into the business and the engineering industry.
Spencer Group’s commitment to shaping its future talent is further evidenced by a recent award win for Group HR Director Yvonne Moir, who took home the Apprentice Ambassador of the Year award at the East Yorkshire Apprenticeship Awards.
Quantity Surveyor Matthew Hunter said: “I’m a hands-on learner and really benefit from learning alongside physically doing things, so doing an apprenticeship through to degree level has really allowed me to do that.
“One of the benefits I’ve noticed from doing a degree alongside work is that it has really improved my attention to detail and the quality of my written work.
“An apprenticeship really gives you the best of both worlds, allowing you to get the hands-on practical experience as well as the technical qualifications, all while earning a wage and not getting into student debt. So, for me, there’s no question, I’d 100% recommend a degree apprenticeship.”
Site Engineer Alistair Sceats said: “When I left Ron Dearing I knew I wanted to go into engineering, but I didn’t know exactly which area I wanted to pursue.
“The apprenticeship at Spencer Group allowed me to rotate around the business and experience different departments, enabling me to try out a few different roles before committing to which area I wanted to specialise in. That’s something you don’t get if you go straight down the traditional university route.
“I’ve had such a positive experience in doing an apprenticeship that both of my younger brothers, who are currently at Ron Dearing, are planning to go down the apprenticeship route too.”
Congratulating the five alumni, Ron Dearing UTC Principal, Sarah Pashley added: “Huge congratulations to Tom, Oliver, Matthew, Alistair and Jack on their academic achievements as well as on the successful careers they have each forged alongside their studies.
“Over the last ten years, Spencer Group has led the way in securing strong employer engagement at RDUTC to develop work-ready young people with the skills, qualifications and aptitude to succeed in the workplace. We are delighted that our partnership with them has produced – and continues to produce – such a strong talent pipeline for their business and, indeed, all our other employer partners.
“This fantastic success story is just one example of the many success stories from so many of our talented alumni. It is concrete evidence that the educational vision recently articulated by our new Prime Minister is absolutely the way our education system needs to develop to address the needs of industry, the needs of our economy and the needs of our young people.”