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Aston Technical College

Cabonscooter said:
Hi Richard. That name doesn't ring bells. I did electrical engineering so didn't do that subject. I can only remember Mr Poynten (?). He taught Maths also AC and DC electrical eng. Excellent lecturer. I should have reached HNC level over 5 years but as I didn't have maths 'O' level, I had to do electrical technicians C&G in the first year. Then I was allowed on to the ONC course S1 then S2 which I failed and had to do again. Took me 5 yrs ( the duration of my GEC drawing office apprenticeship) to reach ONC. Never went back after that thank goodness. I hated the place but like you, everything I learned there I used for the rest of my career.
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Thank you! When I did ONC, the requirement was that if you were a mech eng you had to take elec eng at the same time. When I got out of secondary school, 5 year with UEI with distinction in math and science. Started at Handsworth tech went to Aston tech and back to Handsworth tech as. Brooke Tool Automation engineering apprentice. That apprenticeship was the best thing I ever did. When I emigrated to the US I was able to go back to university at night and summers and earn multiple degrees. But my apprenticeship gave me so much grounding in my entire career.
 
I did two years at Aston Tech 1958-60 doing S2 & S3 ONC in Chemistry, certificate is signed by D. Dudgeon Stockley. I was an apprentice at Wilmot Breeden at that time.
 
devonjim said:
I did two years at Aston Tech 1958-60 doing S2 & S3 ONC in Chemistry, certificate is signed by D. Dudgeon Stockley. I was an apprentice at Wilmot Breeden at that time.
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Oh my goodness, chemistry! As a part of my BSMe in the US, I had to take 6 credits or 2 classes, I was scared to death, I wasn’t very good at it although in the real world I did get to understand. I passed both classes, an A & B. Hats off to those chemistry folks, far better than I!
 
I also went to the Aston Tech annexe in Berners St. Lozells for evening classes which was a pretty run down area even then. The building was a former chapel I think. Gone now, of course, replaced by a row of modern houses.
Memory often plays tricks but I seem to remember doing Mechanical Science there with a Mr Keavy which seems odd as I was doing electrical engineering but maybe it was a similar reciprocal arrangement to that which Richard describes. I'm now 81 so It was an awful long time ago! Mr Keavy was of Irish decent and we use to play tricks on him such as writing "IRA" across the blackboard when he was out of the room but he took it in good humour and just smiled when he came back!
 
Richard Dye said:
Oh my goodness, chemistry! As a part of my BSMe in the US, I had to take 6 credits or 2 classes, I was scared to death, I wasn’t very good at it although in the real world I did get to understand. I passed both classes, an A & B. Hats off to those chemistry folks, far better than I!
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Chemistry was all very well, but I did work for a firm that was strong on engineering, so much so that I enrolled on a City and Guilds at Hall Green so I could learn some fundamentals, this was 1965ish
 
Cabonscooter said:
I also went to the Aston Tech annexe in Berners St. Lozells for evening classes which was a pretty run down area even then. The building was a former chapel I think. Gone now, of course, replaced by a row of modern houses.
Memory often plays tricks but I seem to remember doing Mechanical Science there with a Mr Keavy which seems odd as I was doing electrical engineering but maybe it was a similar reciprocal arrangement to that which Richard describes. I'm now 81 so It was an awful long time ago! Mr Keavy was of Irish decent and we use to play tricks on him such as writing "IRA" across the blackboard when he was out of the room but he took it in good humour and just smiled when he came back!
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That most likely would not be appreciated now!
 
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