Joe Donovan

Kendal College is one of the best colleges in the UK so it seemed like a good choice locally. The College’s links and reputation with employers and universities also made it an attractive choice in terms of making sure I had plenty of opportunities after I had finished the course.

Why did you choose to study this course?

Business is a subject I’ve always been really interested in. The course at college looked to be a lot more comprehensive and lead to far more opportunities than if I had studied the same course elsewhere, or done it alongside other subjects at sixth form.

Why did you choose Kendal College?

Kendal College is one of the best colleges in the UK so it seemed like a good choice locally. The College’s links and reputation with employers and universities also made it an attractive choice in terms of making sure I had plenty of opportunities after I had finished the course.

Was college like you had expected. If not, why?

I expected college to be the same as school but it’s a lot different. The environment is a lot more professional and you’re given more freedom and responsibility.

What did you most enjoy about college life?

Being able to focus on a specific subject is really good., I knew business was the career path I wanted to pursue, so everything we learnt felt relevant to me and the career that I hoped to have.

What opportunities did you have as a student at the college?

I was given so many opportunities! The course allowed me to undertake multiple work placements with reputable organisations, such as the NHS and Gilke’s in their procurement departments. These placements were really useful in showing employers and universities that I had industry experience and that I was genuinely interested in pursuing a career in procurement and supply. As well as my main course, I also had the opportunity to undertake other short courses to develop my knowledge further. For example, my tutors supported me to complete an Advanced Certificate in Procurement and Supply with a company in Manchester and an Advanced Certificate in Excel Software. Opportunities like this weren't available to my friends who stayed at sixth-form and my CV’s and applications definitely have an edge as a result of this.

What was the teaching style like on your course?

Tutors all have different teaching styles which is really good for making sure everyone gets something from the lessons. Sometimes it would be more of a lecture style approach and we would work through a subject in more detail, which I found really useful, but other times we would do practical group activities which others preferred. The teaching style is varied and engaging.

Can you describe a typical day at college?

The college week was three days long, lessons typically starting around ten and finishing at five. In the first year, the course was made up of the core business units such as marketing, accountancy and environments. The second year is more focused on developing this knowledge further by looking at more specialist units, such as digital marketing, project management and international trade. Over the two years, the course covers eighteen units. Alongside these lessons, we then also had enrichment and tutorial which was similar to PSHE at school, but with a business context. We learnt about trading stocks and shares, as well as receiving talks from various organisations such as Chamber of Commerce, EY accountants and the Chamber of Commerce. We had even more opportunities in the second year, but there was also a big focus on what we might do after college, so there was lots of help with applying to UCAS or finding apprenticeships and employment.

How would you describe your college experience?

College was packed full of great opportunities, like the work placements and trips. Being able to focus on a specific subject was really good and a big change from school.

What did you hope to do after college?

I tried to keep my options as open as possible, in terms of how I progressed after college. I successfully received all five offers from the universities I applied for and, after going for an interview, I accepted a conditional place at The University of Huddersfield on their Business with Supply Chain Management Course and was also accepted onto the NOVUS Supply Chain Graduate Programme which assured me a job with one of the programme’s partner employers . As well as this, I was also at various stages of the recruitment process for apprenticeship schemes, many of these are with FTSE 100, or equivalent employers. The interviewers I had from both universities and employers were really positive about the qualifications, skills and opportunities that I gained at the college. I think there is a common misconception among students and their parents about college not allowing you to progress to higher levels of study- this is definitely untrue. The mix of theoretical knowledge that I gained in lessons, as well as the practical experience work placement, left me in a better position for progressing into university, apprenticeships and ultimately employment than I believe sixth form ever would have.

What facilities did you use regularly at the College?

The Learning Centre and University Hub are really useful facilities for doing work before lessons and working on assignments.

If you could give one piece of advice to people considering college, what would it be?

At school, I wasn’t given any information on options other than sixth-form. It was only when Kendal College came into school that I discovered there were specific courses for professional courses like Business. I think it’s really important to go and find these opportunities. If I hadn’t found Business at Kendal College, I think I would have ended up with a lot fewer opportunities than I have today.