Trainee teacher Pete Maguire

Describe your experience and qualifications

I gained a 2.1 in Engineering Business and Technology. My industrial experience included eight years as a Business Unit Supervisor for Federal Mogul Sintered Products in Coventry. This was then followed by two years as a Business Support Coordinator in the Engineering Business Support Unit, of Coventry University.

Why did you decide to train to teach engineering?

For the past eight years I've been working within a manufacturing company that has struggled to recruit and maintain good engineers. There doesn't seem to be any incentives for young people to enter into engineering, which has resulted in a glut of old school engineers who want to bide their time until retirement. I believe that the nation needs to inject some life into a subject area that is failing to recruit young people. The message that should be sent is one that promotes the variety of scope that engineering offers. The fact that engineering incorporates Science, Maths and Design and Technology further supports my decision to teach and stimulate the creative minds of young people.

I also think the combination of practical and theoretical aspects of engineering enables the creative minds of young people to explore the possibilities of today's technology. The broad disciplines incorporated within engineering such as Science, Maths and Design when applied in a technical manner to tangible products, systems or materials makes it easier for young people to relate to and engage with this fasinating sector.