Higher Education success stories

Nick, a learning facilitator at Warrington & Vale Royal College, enrolled on the Award in Education & Training to further his knowledge of the industry he works in.

Nick said: "The course was fantastic. It gave me more of an insight into the challenges that teachers are faced with and on a personal level, it has increased my confidence. The course gave me the qualification I needed to work in this sector and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in working in education."

Professional rugby league players Jake Spedding, Joe Mellor and Ben Morris enrolled on the HNC in Sport & Exercise Science to both enhance their playing career and also secure their future.

Joe, who plays for Widnes Vikings, said: “The course is fantastic – I have definitely learned a lot about the psychology of rugby and sport in general, that I am able to take away to my playing career. What I am learning will also play a massive part in my future and will help me to continue working in sport once my playing days are over.”

After completing an evening class at the college, Barbara decided she wanted to develop her skills further and enrolled onto the HND in Fine Art. She has now seen her work go on display at one of Cheshire’s beauty spots, Whitegate Way.

She said: “I first came to college wanting to know how to throw a clay pot as I’ve always been interested in art but had never done anything like this. I would never have been able to create something like this project if it was not for the fantastic tutors and facilities at the college.”

Teresa enrolled on the Counselling Diploma Level 4 to further her knowledge of psychology.

She said: "I really enjoyed the course. I am really interested in psychology and how people tick. I want to know how people think and what makes them behave the way they do. The course at Warrington & Vale Royal College has helped me in my job as a learning facilitator, and it has strengthened my interest in psychology."

Talented young dancer Leah praised Warrington & Vale Royal College for helping her rediscover her passion for dance after she lost her confidence over the summer. Leah returned to the college to study the HNC in Dance, having previously completed her level 3 dance qualification at the college.

Leah said: “Over the summer, I completely lost my confidence. I didn’t want to go to university, I didn’t want to dance again. It was definitely the right choice to come back. Being here is fantastic – it’s a really homely atmosphere. My confidence has skyrocketed again thanks to doing the HNC at Warrington & Vale Royal College."

Emily chose to study level 2 AAT at Warrington & Vale Royal College to help her progress in her role as an administrator at a local plumbing and electrical company.

She said: "I deal with finance in my job at the moment and the course is helping me to further my knowledge and to gain the qualifications I need. I chose Warrington & Vale Royal College because it's local - I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in accounting."

Peter, a manager at a local charity, Warrington Street Pastors, chose to complete the Level 5 Diploma in Leadership & Management to help further his current role.

He said: "I wanted to be qualified in what I was doing - that was important to me. I chose Warrington & Vale Royal College because it was local and that meant that I was able to complete my studies around work. I really enjoyed the course and it has definitely had a positive impact on my career."

Peter now hopes to progress onto Level 6 or Level 7 ILM.

Make-up artist Emma progressed from our level 3 qualification in media make-up onto the level 4 in Advanced Theatrical Media Make-up. Since studying at the college, Emma has gone on to work on a number of projects, including teaching and working as part of the make-up team on the upcoming film, The Hellions, produced by the British Youth Film Academy.

Emma said: "I absolutely loved the course and my tutor Anne was fantastic. I particularly loved learning how to do prosthetics and bald caps as that's what I ended up doing on The Hellions."

To further her knowledge, Emma is also completing our Diploma in Education & Training.

Erin wanted more time to explore the various art disciplines so progressed from Art & Design Level 3 on to HND Fine Art at Warrington & Vale Royal College.

Erin said: “During the HND I felt that I not only increased my technical-artistic ability and developed my creative-conceptual thinking, but I also increased my confidence immensely. The smaller class size allowed for a really nice community where the tutors spent lots of time working
with us.”

Erin now studies Fine Art at Aberystwyth University where she hopes to explore painting and illustration in depth and gain more experience in order to ready herself for a career in art.

Richard Cusack enrolled on to Warrington & Vale Royal College’s Sport & Exercise Science Level 3 to enable him to progress on to university. Instead, Richard decided to remain at Warrington campus and progress on to our HNC in Sport & Exercise Science, a decision he accredits to his tutors. “The tutors are fantastic and really knowledgeable. They take the time to learn who we are as individuals and our style of learning, and this really helps.”

Richard, who has now progressed on to the college’s HND in Sport & Exercise Science, would like to become a fully-qualified sports therapist.

Andrea Lee completed the Pre-Access course with us and is now enrolled on the Health & Social Care HNC. She said “I have thoroughly enjoyed the course. The tutors have helped me so much to stay on track and provide the best support.”

Andrea dreams of becoming a Children’s Nurse and has already had offers from UCLAN and The University of Chester.

She chose the college because it has a good reputation and she knows qualified nurses who completed the same course at the college.

Melanie Hallett, who works as a PA at Warrington & Vale Royal College, enrolled on to HNC Business to help her to develop within her current role and has since received a promotion!

Melanie said: "I thoroughly enjoyed the HNC in Business; I was with a great group and we worked well together. The knowledge I have gained from the course has helped me to develop my skills and confidence and in turn this has led to me gaining a promotion in my current work role. I would recommend the course to anyone wanting to develop their skills in a business setting as the modules vary from marketing to accounting to the business environment.”

Wayne has been a self-employed builder for 25 years. He enrolled on to Therapeutic Counselling Level 4 to learn more about counselling, but it has now turned in to a career path and he has since been offered a job as a School Counsellor.

Wayne said: “The course has taught me that there are no limitations to what you can achieve. It has been a big learning curve for me and the support I've received from the tutor and my fellow classmates has been amazing.”

Warrington & Vale Royal College’s Curriculum Manager for Construction Trades, Andrew Atkin, enrolled on to the HNC Construction & the Built Environment to further his career towards management.

Andrew said: “The course was challenging but rewarding and the tutor had great industry experience, having previously worked for Cruden. The graduation ceremony was a fantastic way to end a very worthwhile two years.”