David McGhie picked up the prestigious prize at the Paisley campus’ 2014 awards ceremony.

The 21-year-old, from Johnstone, excelled in his HNC electrical engineering course — and has since earned an apprenticeship with electrical installation and maintenance company NES Scotland.

David said: “My uncle’s an electrical engineer. He’s travelled all over the world with his job and makes really good money which is what attracted me to the role, especially as I have a wee boy and want to give him the best life that I possibly can.

“I tried everything I could to get an electrical engineering apprenticeship after I left school but my grades let me down.

“I didn’t do great in school. I messed about a lot and didn’t really apply myself so I didn’t have the qualifications I needed to get an apprenticeship, which is why I first applied for the Intermediate 2 Electrical Engineering course. I thought it was the best way to get my foot in the door.” David’s son Jay is only three years old and he admits that the added course work, which involved high level maths and physics lessons, on top of his fatherly duties was tough. However, he progressed to the HNC course and “barely left the house” as he studied for months towards achieving top grades.

“It was a big commitment, especially with the wee one,” he said. “But I think being a wee bit older and having responsibilities made the time a college a lot more important and made me stick with it.

“I was just hoping and thinking if I could scrape a pass I would be delighted.

“All the studying must have drilled into my head and I ended up getting an A both times. If it wasn’t for all the guidance and help from the lecturers I wouldn’t have got that. You can put in as much work as you can but without them you wouldn’t be able to do it.

“The course puts you in a better stance for a job as it gives you a better understanding and knowledge of how things work.” The trainee engineer thanks the college for “phenomenal” help in kickstarting his career.

He said: “The college helped me with CV writing, cover letters and even helped me with posting when I was struggling — they went above and beyond for me and I’m very grateful for that.

“Who knows what the future holds? Maybe I’ll go to university and study further so I can work offshore. My main aim is just to give my son a better a life — I want to give him all the things I didn’t have and make my family proud.”