ASTUDENT’S engineering skills have landed him in deep water after he secured his dream job.

Former Darlington College student James Davy has taken the plunge into the world of off-shore engineering after being offered a position with North-East company Red Marine.

The Northumberlandbased firm, which specialises in delivering high- quality engineering services to the offshore industry, is one of the country’s leading providers of offshore, coastal and marine engineering solutions.

James, of Bishop Auckland, said: “I was always keen on science, technology and maths at school and knew that I would like a career in engineering. But subjects such as English, that didn’t motivate me quite as much, meant that A-levels were not the best option.

“It was suggested that I go to Darlington College where I could study a BTEC national diploma in mechanical engineering.”

Following his success at Darlington, James went on to study mechanical engineering at Northumbria University, which included a one-year industrial placement, where he was able to put his technical skills and abilities into practice.

Darlington College tutor Rob Elliott said: “It was apparent from an early stage that James had a promising career ahead of him. His meticulous attention to detail and engineering sense really showed in his work.

“He has that valued quality of being able to see through complexity to the best engineering solution and now working professionally for Red Marine he is a first-class engineer with a tremendous future ahead of him.”

James, whose new role as a mechanical engineer includes technical design work, test rig development and the designing, making and building of offshore handling equipment, added: “Rob was very supportive and would often explain things in many different ways until we simply got it. He was just brilliant.

“I love my work and it’s a great company to be part of but I still refer back to what I learnt at Darlington College. It gave me a good understanding of both practical and academic engineering and the basic knowledge I needed to help me progress and get my dream job.”