Brenton Connor started his Civil Engineering degree back in 2002 and stuck with it through various twists and turns in his life, pacing his study load accordingly.

Along the way he did a work placement with Boral and gained employment with the building and construction materials company.

Brenton Connor proudly shows off his final poster presentation

Brenton was still determined to complete his degree so he returned to CQUniversity recently to deliver his final presentation and poster display based on his monitoring of Keppel Sands Beach after extension of the groyne.

The Rockhampton man says that considering the extreme weather conditions of recent years, the groyne extension has generally been a positive factor in protection of the beach.

"I originally took on this project because of my love of the beach," he says.

"There's been a few times over the past 10 years that I've had to slow down my degree but I'm glad to be finally finished."

Brenton delivers his final presentation as a student  CQUniversity's range of Engineering awards includes the popular Bachelor of Engineering (Co-op) and Diploma of Professional Practice (Engineering) available for entry at Gladstone, Mackay and Rockhampton. It's also scheduled to be available for entry at Bundaberg Campus in 2013.

The popularity is due to this program featuring two six-month paid work placements as well as project-based learning. This allows students to develop the technical and professional skills required to work as an engineer in real-life contexts and to graduate with one year of industry experience.