26 August 2026
From starting out on the Level 3 Engineering course to now completing his HND Engineering studies, Sam Hinks has had an incredible journey here at NSCG. Sam left school not knowing what career path he definitely wanted to take, but soon found his feet in Engineering and on completing his Level 3 studies, he chose to head out into employment securing a job with a pneumatics company which gave him lots of experiences in the sector. Here Sam chats to us about his time at NSCG and the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Institute of Technology.
The HNC and HND in Engineering has opened up new possibilities in engineering for me and I'm now moving to Australia and feel confident to achieve anything in my career.
Sam Hinks, HNC/D Engineering
When I was at school, I didn't really know which career path to take, but I knew that I didn't want to go to university. I went to an open event and signed up for the Level 3 Engineering course and that was 6 years ago.
My tutors, Adam and Rob supported me throughout and nothing was ever too much trouble. I like being involved in what I could and wanted to achieve and the course was clear in it's expectations to us as learners. The teaching team really helped me to get the bests marks possible and I will always be grateful for that.
At the end of the BTEC, some of my classmates went on to university but I knew I want to get a full-time job in engineering and continue my journey with NSCG. I then got a job working for a pneumatics company and I had lots of opportunities to put theory into practice as I began the the HNC in Engineering.
The class sizes were a real pull for me and I've been able to work through my studies whilst working full time. I haven't had the stress of preparing for big end of year exams which suited me personally and you would not believe how amazing the facilities are at the Institute of Technology. Obviously there is the student debt which I don't have and I'm happy with the choice I made.
The courses have given me a further insight into various elements of engineering by studying subject areas such as Further Machines and Drives, Further Control Systems whilst brainstorming ideas with Adam and Rob.
Now that I have obtained my qualifications, I have opened doors for more opportunities. I am now going to Australia to work for a few years within the engineering field. Having both work experience and certificates to back this up, I now know that my career path and feel confident in getting to where I want to be.
