James Gardiner is progressing into the UTC Leeds sixth form after securing a good set of GCSE results and a Level 2 Distinction in his technical qualification.
James joined the UTC in Year 10 after seeing an advertisement which caught his attention. James said: “I saw an advert for the UTC and thought it looked like the right school for me. I’ve always enjoyed problem solving, taking things apart and putting them back together – so coming here just made sense!
“My old school didn’t offer the same level of product design or engineering.”
Following his GCSE results, James is now looking forward to returning to the UTC in September where he will study Double Engineering, Product Design and Maths.
Commenting on his results, James said: “I’m happy with my results, particularly with achieving a Level 2 Distinction in Engineering Manufacture.”
James has enjoyed his time so far at UTC Leeds, he said: “I’ve probably enjoyed the Engineering lessons the most because I like being practical and using the machines.
“I also really enjoyed the Greenpower Challenge that me and some of the other students took part in as a team. We had to design, build and race our own electric powered race car. Each team gets the same battery and motor but then you build the car and everything around it. Ours actually broke! But it was a really fun experience.”
Currently, James works in a theatre where he helps with all the lighting, the wiring and building of sets. Following his A Levels and technical results, James hopes to secure an apprenticeship – he’s not sure what in yet, but at the moment he is interested in mechanical engineering.
