‘It’s so rewarding to see students progress, knowing I’ve played a part’
RIGHT MOVE: Matthew Lowe
Bishop Burton College is inviting engineers to consider a career in teaching. Matthew Lowe, Lecturer in Welding and Fabrication, explains why he made the switch…
Teaching was always something I thought I might do in later life, but I’m so pleased I’ve made the move now.
I’d been in the Army, working in welding and fabrication with the Royal Engineers, for six-and-a-half years. I spent a few months working in a welding and fabrication factory after leaving the Army, then a job came up at Bishop Burton.
I thought I’d go and have a look and see how I felt about it.
When I got here, met the team in the engineering department and saw the set up and the facilities, I realised what a fantastic opportunity it was for me to pass on what I know.
I spoke to a lot of people about moving into teaching at a young age – I’m 25 – and realised that, by doing so, I’d be giving myself plenty of time to progress and build a real career in the sector.
The team here have been absolutely brilliant in helping me find my feet since I started in September and I begin my Level 3 Teacher Training course in January, which the college is supporting me with.
Everything we do in the engineering department has a real world, practical element to it.
As a specialist college, Bishop Burton has its own working farm, so we get real jobs to do from that, working on the machinery.
We also get local farms bringing their equipment in as well. The students are all working on real tasks, which provides them with invaluable experience.
It’s really important to prepare them for industry, so as well as working on practical tasks, we also give them responsibility and treat them like adults.
We try to instil in them the importance of being a responsible person. This is their last step before going into industry and we replicate what that will be like for them, as best we can.
The difference I’ve seen in the students, even in the short time I’ve been here, has been incredible.
Their progression has been fantastic, and we’re only halfway through the first term. That makes me really hopeful for the rest of the time I have with them.
They’re all keen to learn and it’s so rewarding to see their development, knowing I’ve helped bring them on.
That’s definitely one of the best things about the job. It’s been a brilliant move for me and I’d highly recommend it to others.
Bishop Burton College is holding a recruitment event for engineers who might be interested in a change of career. It takes place from 4pm-6pm on Thursday, December 1. Booking is open on Eventbrite here.