Craig Flying High in Engineering at Stoke on Trent College

Mechatronics and Engineering lecturer Craig Melville is taking his career to new heights since joining Stoke on Trent College.

Craig’s career story…

Craig’s career has taken a few twists and turns, having previously worked for the military in electronics, SAT comms and communications and setting up airfields. He continued working for the RAF, moving into a software developer role and then transitioning into his first teaching role focusing on programming and Microsoft services at the RAF base at Cosford in Wolverhampton.

This led to taking on the role of Mechatronics and Engineering lecturer at the college in April last year.

Craig enjoys the interactive side of teaching and enjoys meeting students from a wide range of backgrounds.

“I’m quite a people person, so I enjoy presentations and public speaking, and teaching lends itself to this. I like to meet new people, and we have such a wide range of students from different backgrounds here.”

Since arriving at College…

Since his arrival, Craig has also worked closely with Level 2 Engineering student Richmond Addai, which helped him to be recognised as Student of the Year in STEM and Engineering at the annual Celebrating Success awards held in June last year at the college’s Cauldon campus.

“Getting through some of the struggling students when I first arrived was an absolute pleasure,” he said.

Talking about his course, he explained,
“I think Mechatronics is how we mix mechanics and electronics; this, alongside vintage car mechanics, is my passion at home.”

Engineering offers huge career possibilities for students, and Craig is keen to show that there are so many jobs you can go on to after completing your college studies.

“The spectrum is huge, particularly for the BTEC Level 3 students. Engineering now is not just cutting and welding in a workshop; it’s huge. You can do computer programming through to what you’d consider conventional engineering roles. It’s a rewarding job, too,” Craig said.

Craig is also keen to fully utilise the power of AI and use this as another way for students to research information to complement their studies.

“AI is a really useful tool when used properly. We’ve got to get to the point where we are steering the students in the right direction, asking AI for information, not asking it to do work for you.

Hassan Rizvi, Principal & CEO at Stoke on Trent College, said:
“Since joining the college, Craig has thrown himself into providing the best experience for our learners. He is always looking to show the full breadth of careers that can come from studying engineering here at Stoke on Trent College.”