A former Milton Keynes College student has been named East of England T Level Student of the Year in the National Apprenticeship and Skills Awards run by the Department for Education.  James Adi now goes through to the national finals having already been Construction Student of the Year during his time at the College.  He’s hit the headlines before, having achieved an A in A Level maths in spite of only studying for the exam for seven months. 

James was nominated for this latest award by his college tutor, Simon Eko.  Simon says, “James has a phenomenal work ethic.  For his T Level work placement with Morgan Sindall Construction, he was supposed to do a minimum of 315 hours over the two years of the course.  James did 540 hours in just ten months.  The company was so impressed with him that after he graduated, they gave him a full-time summer job as a site manager.” 

James said, “I’m incredibly grateful to have received this award.  The support from MK College and my placement at Morgan Sindall really helped me, and I’m excited to keep building my career in civil engineering and continue to apply what I’ve learned.  I’m really glad I decided to go the T Level route after school.  It’s a great way to work in industry and start building your network.  If you know what you want to do in life, T Levels allow you to focus your studies onto subjects that are relevant to your future job.  I personally chose T Levels because I already knew I wanted to become a civil engineer and through this path I learned everything I needed to qualify for university entry, but I also have lots of work experience that many of my peers lack.  That gives me an advantage in coursework and when applying what we learn.”  

Simon says even after leaving college, James has been back to support other T Level students, sharing his experiences, offering guidance, and helping them develop practical skills.  “His willingness to mentor and inspire others shows his leadership qualities and passion for the field.” 

Anyone who wants to find out if T Levels might be the right path for them can visit the course finder on the MK College website: Course Finder – MK College or come to one of our Open Events.