Graduation Tales | Alex swaps plumbing for project management thanks to his degree
19 July, 2024
The International Convention Centre Wales in Newport has once again seen thousands of our graduates cross the stage in their cap and gown. To celebrate, we are sharing the stories of some of our inspirational students.
Alex Gee, from Cardiff, left school with little confidence having barely passed his A levels, deciding to pursue a plumbing and heating apprenticeship rather than apply to university.
As a qualified plumber, he progressed quickly at Cardiff Council, later taking the leap back into education – and is this week graduating from BA (Hons) Business with first class honours, after four years of studying part time alongside full-time work. Alex has even started in his dream job as assistant project manager with construction company Currie & Brown.
“I wasn’t a particularly high achiever at school,” said Alex. “I was mostly in the lower end of my classes, and even though I did OK in my GCSEs, I didn’t achieve very good grades at A level and my confidence was knocked – so much so that I felt I wouldn’t be able to progress my education any further.
“Thankfully, after my apprenticeship I became a qualified plumber and went on to be a corporate apprentice at Cardiff Council, then a building manager within two years of working there. I managed the Powerhouse community hub in Llanedeyrn, where I looked after 12 employees and was responsible for the service delivery of the building. This included optimising its services, renting out rooms to external partners and co-ordinating large scale community events.”
Alex decided to apply to USW as he felt that a degree qualification would help his future career prospects – and the Business course was a perfect fit.
He said: “I’d gained quite a lot of work experience from my management role, so I felt it was the right time for me to finally go to university and put that knowledge to good use in my studies. Balancing part-time study with my job was challenging at times, but my lecturers were all very supportive and I thoroughly enjoyed my time at USW.
“Having achieved my degree has given me so much more confidence and ambition, and it’s helped me to reach my goal of working for a well-established company. Currie & Brown are even investing in me to progress to a Masters degree, which is a fantastic opportunity that I’m very grateful for.”
Lisa Curtis, course leader for BA Business, added: “I’m extremely proud of Alex’s academic and personal development while on the course. His dedication and commitment whilst working full-time and studying part-time has culminated in the achievement of a well-deserved first class honours degree. I wish him well with his graduate scheme at Currie & Brown. He will be an asset to any employer.”