I'd be with you in spirit if the example you've given wasn't so awkwardly written.

Try something like "Sebastian Shore's eighteenth birthday had just passed when he took up his place at the Engineering college" instead. It's wordier, but it's not stilted, and it doesn't make me wonder who "The engineer" is and why they've wandered into Sebastian's paragraph without an invitation. "Giving more information" is useless if your narrative isn't engaging.