How Newcastle College is plugging the management skills gap in engineering

Newcastle College is building a strong reputation for equipping engineering students with not only technical expertise, but also the management and leadership skills necessary to excel in industry. At the heart of the college’s engineering programmes is David Harrison CMgr FCMI, higher education curriculum lead for engineering, whose extensive career as an engineer and manager has shaped the way the college delivers its programmes. His insights into the industry’s needs, coupled with the college’s partnership with CMI, ensure students have every chance of graduating with a well-rounded education, ready to lead and innovate.

A career built on engineering and leadership

David’s own journey into engineering began in 1980 as a Ministry of Defence apprentice at the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield, London. This early experience whetted his appetite for high-level engineering, working on weapons and ammunition design. From there, his career took him around the country, leading teams designing and testing advanced military systems, including tank shells and torpedo warheads.

• Where technical expertise meets leadership skills: engineering management at Newcastle College

David found himself stepping into management roles early in his career. 

“I was that classic accidental manager,” he recalls. “At 23, I was suddenly supervising people, many of whom were older and more experienced than me. I made every mistake you could possibly make.” 

These experiences convinced him he needed proper management training in engineering, something that would later influence his work at Newcastle College.

As his career progressed, David was selected by his then employer, BAE Systems, to undertake a bespoke engineering business management course at the University of Warwick, designed to bridge the gap between technical knowledge and business acumen.

“The company realised that engineers couldn’t run a business, but accountants couldn’t run an engineering business either,” he explains. The programme provided David with critical training in people management, efficiency and organisation – elements that are now central to Newcastle College’s engineering curriculum.

Engineering education at Newcastle College

Newcastle College offers a range of engineering degrees, including its FdEng Engineering, BEng (Hons) Mechanical Manufacturing Engineering, BEng (Hons) Electrical Electronic Engineering, and BSc (Hons) Engineering Management courses. These degrees cater to a diverse student body, from school leavers progressing through foundation degrees to experienced professionals seeking to break through what David describes as the “glass ceiling” that often limits career progression without a formal degree.