Widening Access | Page 32

CRAIG After being made redundant, I was looking for a career change. I always had an interest in IT so to improve my job opportunities, I came to college. I’ve found the course really interesting and my college experience exceeded my expectations. As a mature student it was daunting, but the encouragement from staff really helped to build my confidence. I took part in a work placement for the Citizens Advice Bureau, updating their computer security system as well as installing new software. This was fantastic practical experience, putting the course work into a real-life context. They then offered me a job. My plan is to go to university to study a degree. Eventually I would like to emigrate to Australia and work my way up within the growing IT industry. Craig was a true team player in his time at college and brought heaps of energy to the class. As well as passing the course Craig was successful in achieving a very difficult Microsoft vendor qualification during his HNC year. Lecturer