Stephen Mounser
BA (Hons) Product Design
Stephen works in technical development at Howdens Joinery.
The best thing about Teesside has to be the people. The facilities were great, the lecturers had an approachable open door policy and I’ve made lifelong friends from my course mates.
How did University help you prepare for your career?
The course treated the degree like a 9-5 job, as opposed to other courses that only require a few hours of lectures a week – it was great preparation for working life.
The lecturer’s feedback was constructive and always honest about my work, never holding back. Live projects were a great insight into how real businesses and clients view your work and what they expect from designers. Some offered great placement opportunities too.
What did you enjoy most about Teesside?
Where do I start? The best thing about Teesside has to be the people. The facilities were great, the lecturers had an approachable open door policy and I’ve made lifelong friends from my course mates.
Teesside is also affordable, allowing me to spend more time socialising, and the uni campus made it easy to meet new people.
Would you recommend your course?
Definitely! I felt the course offered great value compared to other universities with regards to staff and financial support.
What are you doing now?
I am still working at Howdens Joinery but I have transitioned from the Industrial Design department to work in Technical Development. My previous role focused on the design and development of new product. My new job centres around ensuring all the materials and products we source and produce, are suitable for our business. I am now responsible for all products that we produce in-house across our five production sites within the UK, as well as all bought-in raw materials and solid surface worktops.
The job also offers the opportunity for lots of travel inside of work, with trips often taken to China, Japan, Middle East, and Europe, across our varying departments and supply bases.
What are your ambitions for the future?
The ambition is to continue to grow the portfolio of product I am responsible for and help Howdens to continue to grow and reach its goals. Ultimately one day, I hope to be running the technical and quality departments and progress to being the head of supply operations.
