Undergraduate & Professional

I studied for my Level 3 engineering apprenticeship on-site at BMW and I'm now on the HNC programme. During that time you get to work in different departments and figure out the career route you're interested in – I've chosen the maintenance department.

The tutors at the College really know their stuff and are helpful. You can tell they have experience working with BMW as the organisation and communication is really good, especially as we're on shift patterns.

Going forward, the HND is a potential option, because if you progress well you can look into the foundation degree. Overall, I'd recommend the apprenticeship and also the bolt-on HNC.

As a mature student, it can be daunting returning to education, but the staff have made me feel extremely welcome.

Studying the FdSc in Animal Behaviour and Welfare exceeded all expectations and led me to do the top-up degree. The variety of modules all intertwined smoothly, which assisted learning and understanding across different subjects. Lecturers often went out of their way to ensure students got the most fulfilling experience during the year, whether its offering five minutes during their break to take volunteers to work with some species on campus, or staying after class to do additional practical sessions in the biology lab.

Studying here has sparked a desire to continue in academia. My future endeavours are to continue and complete the BSc(Hons) with the College.

I thought I wanted a career in Retail, but the degree has opened my eyes to new opportunities and greater ambition. I have been successfully accepted onto an accounting graduate scheme in Oxford and will be a qualified accountant in a further three years time.

I would not have got this role if it wasn’t for my ability to study and work at the same time. My studies were directly relevant to my job – so much of what we learned can be applied to my own employer’s circumstances.

My advice to new students would be that time management skills are important to help make sure you get the right balance between work and study. At the start of the first term you are given your schedule for the year, which helps a lot with planning and organizing your study time. Allow plenty of time for reading too – you need to really read widely around the subject area.

The thing I enjoy most about my course is the knowledge that I gain can be applied back in the workplace. For example, when we did the language module and studied the pre-linguistic stages of children I learnt that whilst communicating with babies, we didn’t need to over-simplify everything as they understand so much more than we think. We also added more words to the walls so they could start to recognise letters as well as pictures.

Both of my tutors, Jane and Anna, are really knowledgeable and enthusiastic as well as being very approachable. They also both have strong backgrounds in early years so have lots of experience to share with us.

The company I work, the old station nursery, is expanding so there will hopefully be some excellent opportunities for me in the future.

The teaching staff were amazing, particularly the course tutor, Rebecca Philbrook.

The course really raised my ambitions and opened my eyes to career opportunities – HR is one area I found very interesting and might pursue longer term. I’ve learnt a lot about myself during the course, such as the importance of self-reflecting and being aware of your strengths and weaknesses, so that you can be a better manager.

If you have taken a break from studying, and are worried about starting again – don’t be. I was nervous, but after completing my first assignment, it turned out not to be as complicated as I feared!