Great Connections: Engineering Students Receive Talk From the Digital Innovation Centre
Engineering and Electrical Installation students were given the chance to hear about the exciting role that 5G has to play in their future careers, as Nottinghamshire’s New Digital Innovation Centre at the Worksop Turbine, visited North Notts College.
The not-for-profit organisation, which specialises in promoting innovation, business and career opportunities in Nottinghamshire, and across the UK, gave a clear signal to first-year students about the many opportunities that the new technology will bring to both their careers and the local community.
5G is the newest generation of mobile networking, which allows for unprecedented amounts of data to be transported. This latest form of mobile networking is currently available across much of the wider area of North Nottinghamshire.
Nick Mellors, Director of Innovation Nottinghamshire, who are leading the creation of the new innovation centre, spoke to the students about the positive impact that 5G will have on businesses in the local area.
Nick said: “It’s a really exciting time to be a student. 5G is going to change the world of work, and these students are going to be at the heart of that.”
He added: “The 5G technology uses already existing radio frequencies to connect not just people, but also machines and material things. This means that there are so many exciting opportunities for young students to help work with this technology to enable safer and more automated ways of working.”
Level 2 Engineering student Andreas Webb shared his views on 5G after the presentation.
He said: “I had heard about 5G before the presentation, but I didn’t really know what it was – Now I feel like I can start to understand it. I think it’s going to be a major part of working as an engineer in the future, and what I’ll be working within the years to come.”
Andreas went on to say: “It’s changed the way I see engineering – It’s a lot more advanced and cool. I imagined engineering being mostly hand tools and machinery – I didn’t think it would include VR (virtual reality). It’s super interesting, and I’m excited now!”
Electrical installation student Chris Lee also highlighted the benefits of 5G within his field.
Chris said: “The presentation opened my eyes to how strong 5G is and the possibilities of what you can do with it. My goal is to work on an oil rig, and now that I think about it, the potential of using 5G when you’re in the middle of a sea is huge. It would mean instant connections and could allow for machines to be operated from anywhere.”
The presence of 5G in Nottinghamshire today was a key point that Nick Mellors wanted to get across in his presentation and something which stuck with Chris.
He reflected on this, saying: “It was really interesting to hear that where I live, in Gateford, there is a 5G network set up. I wouldn’t have thought that it would be around here yet, because it’s not a major town or city, but it just shows that 5G is ready for us to use now.”
Nick concluded his presentation by emphasizing the exciting future both Engineering and Electrical Installation students have ahead of them in the 5G working world and the many job opportunities that this new technology will bring to their bright futures.
If you want to learn more about how you can start your exciting career – read about our Engineering and Electrical Installation courses or reach out to our Learner Recruitment Team