YOUNG railway engineer Terrell Rose said persistence and passion in applying the skills he learnt at South Thames College Group helped him turn a work placement into a full time job.
The 20-year-old, from Crystal Palace, studied for the Extended National Diploma in Engineering at the college’s Merton campus to follow his dream of becoming an engineer. But it was the way he applied himself on a work placement that he engineered himself that made the dream come true.
“I’ve wanted to be an engineer for as long as I can remember,” he said. “From primary school onwards, I was constantly coming up with ideas for projects I wanted to build.”
After impressing on the first year of his course, with consistently high marks for assignments, he was the only one in his class to volunteer for a week’s placement at offshore renewable energy company Subsea7 in Sutton.
“I worked in the Electrical, Control and Instrumentation engineering team, supporting offshore wind turbine systems and subsea cable projects in Japan,” he said. “I learnt a lot about how companies keep projects efficient while keeping staff safe.”
His second placement came about after staff from railway engineer Alstom in nearby Morden came into the college to deliver a talk about its work. Afterwards Terrell was the only student to stay behind to introduce himself, ask more questions and enquire about an internship.
“By being polite, engaged, and prepared, I was able to secure an internship that was never even advertised publicly,” he said. “Without taking that initiative, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
He was offered a week’s placement working on the Northern Line at the start of the summer holidays but at the end of the week he asked to stay on. “The managers I’d been working with said they liked my work ethic and attitude,” he said.
“I explained that since it was the summer and I didn’t have any other commitments, I would be keen to stay on. They agreed, and I continued working there for another two months without missing a day. It was unpaid but I treated it as if it was a full-time role, staying consistent, reliable, and eager to learn.”
He said the placement taught him about safety and responsibility. “Everything you do is formed around safety, the same principles that I learnt at Subsea7,” he said. “The entire Northern Line fleet, which millions of people take every day, relies on these workers, and if you make a mistake, trains can break during service and passenger safety is at risk.”
At the end of the two months his managers asked about his future plans and he said he was determined to return to college in September to get his engineering diploma but would like to return to Alstom.
“In February I received a call from one of the managers informing me that a permanent position as a trainee technician had opened up and urging me to apply,” he said. “I was over the moon because my hard work had paid off.”
He believes his attitude during the placement clinched the eventual job offer. “I volunteered for as many tasks and projects as possible and got involved wherever I could,” he said. “Everyone had positive things to say about me, and that reputation goes a long way in a professional environment.
“Some people there were surprised I was willing to give up my summer to work and learn but I think that decision showed commitment and in an industry where the average age is relatively high, they were keen to invest in someone younger who showed potential and could be developed over time.
“I’m proud that I applied the knowledge gained from my studies at Merton and used every opportunity to learn new skills.”
Head of Employability Angela Woolnough said Terrell is a shining example of how work experience can lead to paid employment. “We’re very proud of Terrell and we wish him success and happiness in his chosen career,” she said.
“Merton College has been successfully working in partnership with Alstom for more than five years and they have been a great help to our engineering students by supporting us with insight talks, site visits, work experience and work preparation workshops. We’re very grateful for all they do for the next generation of engineers on the first steps of their career journey.”
