{"id":15641,"date":"2026-03-18T16:07:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T16:07:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.technocamps.com\/?p=15641"},"modified":"2026-03-20T12:55:43","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T12:55:43","slug":"case-study-robert-ellens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.technocamps.com\/en\/2026\/03\/18\/case-study-robert-ellens\/","title":{"rendered":"Case Study: Robert Ellens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Tell us a little about yourself and your work.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My name is Robert, and I am a fully qualified, time-served Automation Technician with a background in the steel manufacturing industry. Following this, I became an experienced Shift Craft Electrician, before moving into Automation and Control equipment within Systems and PCA (Process Control &amp; Automation). I began working with OT\/IT equipment using legacy devices such as GEC 4220 and Dec Alpha computers, alongside networking Microsoft Windows computers. I now have extensive experience working with a range of automation computer systems as a Systems Engineer, including Scada HMI systems, Data Historians, and PLC Data communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How did you hear about and engage with the Degree apprenticeship programme delivered by the Institute of Coding\/Swansea University (Technocamps)?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>I contacted our learning and development team to enquire about software programming courses, and they suggested a funded degree in Applied Software Engineering at Swansea University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How did you first get involved with computers, and what inspired you to take this path?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have been interested in computers from an early age, when my dad would bring home a Commodore PET for us to play with. I used to spend hours on a Saturday programming games. I grew up with mainstream home computers, starting with a Sinclair ZX81 and a Commodore 64, before being introduced to Intel PC\u2019s in the steelworks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How has completing the Degree Apprenticeship programme influenced your personal development, job role, and career ambitions?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Participating in and completing the Degree Apprenticeship<a> <\/a>was a great achievement for me, as I at times struggled with studying and keeping my attention. Since completing the Degree Apprenticeship, I have not stopped learning and have attended Technocamps for a number of micro-credentials and short courses to continue my learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How do you think you will use the skills and knowledge you have gained in the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am progressing through more qualifications and certifications relating to cybersecurity. I am hoping to lead to a career move, having chosen Pen testing as an optional module in the last year of the Degree Apprenticeship, which I found very insightful and fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Can you share a specific moment or project that stands out as particularly meaningful during your time with the Institute of Coding\/Swansea University (Technocamps)?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was great meeting like-minded individuals for discussion and bouncing ideas off each other. One moment that stands out was when we had a small group project to do, and presentation skills were graded. It was funny seeing the lecturer click the watch to indicate our 15 minutes of fame were almost over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What advice would you give to someone thinking about pursuing a career in computer science or a related field?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I would highly recommend the course. It was a great learning experience to learn proper coding methods and syntax. The career market for computer science graduates is vastly increasing, from being a front-end developer, back-end database admin or one of the many new fields of work in cyber security. I would also recommend the campus and facilities at Swansea University, as well as the surrounding coastline on the Gower Peninsula.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tell us a little about yourself and your work. My name is Robert, and I am a fully qualified, time-served Automation Technician with a background in the steel manufacturing industry. Following this, I became an experienced Shift Craft Electrician, before moving into Automation and Control equipment within Systems and PCA (Process Control &amp; Automation). I began working with OT\/IT equipment &#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.technocamps.com\/en\/2026\/03\/18\/case-study-robert-ellens\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":15644,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[345,268,2],"tags":[103],"class_list":["post-15641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-da","category-news","category-news-and-events","tag-degree-apprenticeship"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Case Study: Robert Ellens - Technocamps<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.technocamps.com\/en\/2026\/03\/18\/case-study-robert-ellens\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Case Study: Robert Ellens - Technocamps\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tell us a little about yourself and your work. My name is Robert, and I am a fully qualified, time-served Automation Technician with a background in the steel manufacturing industry. Following this, I became an experienced Shift Craft Electrician, before moving into Automation and Control equipment within Systems and PCA (Process Control &amp; Automation). I began working with OT\/IT equipment ... Read More\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.technocamps.com\/en\/2026\/03\/18\/case-study-robert-ellens\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Technocamps\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Technocamps\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-18T16:07:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-20T12:55:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.technocamps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Robert-Ellens_eng-scaled.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Paige Jennings\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Technocamps\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Technocamps\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Paige Jennings\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.technocamps.com\/2026\/03\/18\/case-study-robert-ellens\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.technocamps.com\/2026\/03\/18\/case-study-robert-ellens\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Paige Jennings\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.technocamps.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/1c0b9a32d66edd3597471cc45da5d93b\"},\"headline\":\"Case Study: Robert Ellens\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-18T16:07:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-20T12:55:43+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.technocamps.com\/2026\/03\/18\/case-study-robert-ellens\/\"},\"wordCount\":521,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.technocamps.com\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.technocamps.com\/2026\/03\/18\/case-study-robert-ellens\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.technocamps.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Robert-Ellens_eng-scaled.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Degree Apprenticeship\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Degree Apprenticeship Case Study\",\"News\",\"News and Events\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.technocamps.com\/2026\/03\/18\/case-study-robert-ellens\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.technocamps.com\/2026\/03\/18\/case-study-robert-ellens\/\",\"name\":\"Case Study: Robert Ellens - 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