Don HowardDon Howard was lucky enough to be offered a seven-year apprenticeship with
Chadburns, a company producing ship's telegraphs and other maritime
equipment.
While serving his apprenticeship and later as a designer draughtsman, Don spent
nineyears attending night schools. At the end of the ninth year, he had been
awarded, in the field of Mechanical Engineering, a Pre-National Certificate, an
Ordinary National Certificate, a Higher National Certificate, and he had passed
all of the extra subjects required by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. Don
was accepted as a Graduate Member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers
and later as an Associate Member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.
After a number of years working as a designer, he decided to make a career
change. After completing a full year's course in technical teaching, in Bolton,
Don started out on what was to be his main interest for a major part of his
working life. Don spent nineteen years developing courses and teaching in the
UK, Bermuda, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Algeria.
He believes that his most productive years were spent in Saudi Arabia, where he
had the academic rank of Associate Professor, and where he was the Director of
the university's engineering laboratories. On his return to the UK in 1978, Don
discovered that the number of apprenticeships in the engineering industry had
decreased dramatically and there were few courses being offered for their
advancement. He decided to make another career change. After a full year's
course on Technical Authorship in 1987, Don set off on a new, challenging and
rewarding career. Writing technical documentation for companies such as Shell
UK, Shell International, Heinz Foods Ltd, and British Nuclear Fuels kept him
busy for a further 12 years. Read More Read Less