Andre appreciates progression opportunity

After completing his Level 3 Computing course at The Manchester College, Andre Kamani Mugabo visited a number of universities when weighing up his options for progression.

But after hearing from tutors and seeing the industry-standard facilities at City Campus Manchester, he set his heart on studying Computer Network Engineering at UCEN Manchester.

Andre told us about his experience and the transition from College to Higher Education:
 

Why did you choose UCEN Manchester?

I felt it was better to progress to UCEN Manchester because previously I was studying Level 3 at The Manchester College. I was doing Network Engineering Level 3 and they have an option to progress to Level 4 at UCEN Manchester, which was better for me.
 

How did you find the transition from The Manchester College to UCEN Manchester? 

It’s helped a lot. For example, while we were on the Level 3 course at The Manchester College, we got more information about the Level 4 Computer Network Engineering course from Paul Ashby (UCEN Manchester tutor). He gets time to speak to you about the details, to talk about what you're going to do on the course. The transition was very simple because we had all information we needed to know. 
 

How would you say UCEN Manchester compares to your time at The Manchester College? 

UCEN Manchester is more advanced. We had the chance to progress in the new building, City Campus Manchester, which has a new generation of equipment, such as the Cisco Labs. That is a big difference with The Manchester College. We have everything we need.
 

Would you say you've been impressed by everything available to you? 

Yes, especially the material we use in the labs. It’s the new generation compared to The Manchester College. So, once we progress to UCEN Manchester, we have really good materials and tools. 
 

Would you recommend UCEN Manchester to others and why?

Yes, I can recommend UCEN Manchester. Before I accessed UCEN Manchester, I went to the open day for some other universities, but I preferred to choose UCEN Manchester because the progression from The Manchester College was easy. Compared to coming from another college, it’s easier to progress.

I recommend people come and participate in the Open Days. You can find out everything you need about the curriculum and student life.
 

What do you love in particular about your subject? 

I enjoy Ciomputer Network Engineering because there are many jobs in the industry. I love working in the Cisco Labs. I would recommend Computer Network Engineering to anyone with an interest in it; you will enjoy it.
 

Is there anything non-academic that you love about just being at UCEN and so not related to your course? 

The facilities in the new campus are the best. We have all the new technology that we need. There is also a ‘Tech Society’ every Wednesday that we like to take part in. It’s not related to Network Engineering; we do general activities, trying to troubleshoot and repair things like computers or anything related to technology.

Learn more about courses at UCEN Manchester's School of Computing and Cybersecurity and find out how to apply.