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"it's helped me think, yes, I am an ok person and that people value my opinion; it's good for your self esteem" Susan Rowlands |
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Ready for a Change?
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Email a friendWhat the students say...Below are extracts from interviews with Coleg Harlech students. They all have different reasons for coming to Coleg Harlech, click on the links to find out how they feel the college has changed their lives. Nik, Music Technology (click here for the Full Interview) When I was at school I didn’t do as well as I should have done, I messed around with my friends, and didn’t get good grades, I regret it now. When I left I went to work in retail and was at Woolworths until it closed
down, after then I was unemployed until I started here. I wasn’t sure if it would be as good as it sounded but in fact its been far better, I’ve loved every minute of it I’ve had great feed back from all my tutors at the end of each term they have written brilliant comments about my work, I want to frame them! They have given me confidence in my abilities both academically and with my music. They say that if I ever lose confidence again I only need to look at their feedback. So far I’ve had distinctions in most of my modules which is amazing, I am so chuffed as I never did that well at school. The tutors have shown me that I do have the ability to take this further and I’ve been accepted at Kingston University to do music technology along with the other band members. I was so excited when I heard I had got in, when I first started this course I never imagined that this was possible for me. Sara, Social Studies (click here for the Full Interview) Before I came here I was doing a lot of hospitality work which was the only work I could get with things the way they are. I was looking to get into education and this was the perfect opportunity to do what I wanted in a short period of time and the fact it is free was important as obviously finance was difficult. I’ve really enjoyed the course, it’s fast paced and I did struggle at times as I’m not really an essay writer because I’m dyslexic. But I got a lot of support here.Over time I’ve learnt how to write the essays, and got my skills much higher The course itself is very interesting. I’ve found I really like learning about neurons, it does change your perception of the world. I would say definitely come to Coleg Harlech, it’s free, it’s only 9 months of your life and you can achieve an awful lot here and if you want to go on to university its perfect. I’ve been accepted at Bangor University to do Psychology with Neuropsychology and in the future I would like to go into clinical neuropsychology and work in hospitals with people who have brain injuries Ross, Music Technology (click here for the Full Interview) I used to work for an insulation company but then I fell off a ladder and smashed
up my hand so I couldn’t work any more. I’d say you do make a sacrifice but at the end of the day, you could waste a year of your life being on the dole doing sod all, or you could come somewhere and achieve something. Matthew - Majestic Music Technology (click here for the Full Interview) I worked in a night club for 10 years before coming here, starting off being
a barman and working my way up to supervisor. This place has taught me that I can do it and that as long as you work hard
you can be what you want to be. Gary, Music Technology (click here for the Full Interview) I was working in any job I could find to get some money, unskilled work mainly - in a bar, a factory, labouring and telesales. Working in those jobs made me want to get some qualifications, you can’t get anywhere in them. I phoned up another college but they said realistically with no GCSE’s and with limited places available on the course they will be taking on those who already have maths and English the best thing to do is redo GCSEs or try for an access course which I did. Its like a dream, I’ve been dying to do something like this for years, I’m 29 now and I wish I’d found something like this when I was younger I’d definitely tell people to do it, if you didn’t do well at school and weren’t academic at that stage of your life, it’s a perfect opportunity to get your foot in the door and move on to doing something you want to do. I’ll have a job in the music industry at the end of it all in some form and I’ll be happy with that definitely. Bethan, Music Technology (click here for the Full Interview) Before I came to Coleg Harlech I was working in a hotel and singing part time with another girl, I’ve been in a duo for 7 years. I always wanted to be a singer, I thought the next step would be to go into education and try to study music and have more of a chance to get out there with my music. I found out I was dyslexic when I came here, I didn’t know before I arrived, so I’ve been having one-to-one sessions with student support. That’s really helped me. Before, when I didn’t know I was dyslexic, I was just thinking I wasn’t as clever as the rest of them, but when I did the test and found out that I was dyslexic it all made sense. There’s plenty of support here and it takes the pressure off knowing that there’s someone who can help if you need it. Johnpaul (JP), Music Technology (click here for the Full Interview) I’ve been a musician since I was 16, in a band and as a solo artist singing and playing guitar mainly. I was working in retail and a friend of mine saw an advert and told me I would be mad not to apply for it. I came on a taster and then the study skills week, I’d been out of education for 10 years so they were really beneficial especially as a mature student. Thanks to the Music Technology Course I am now able to study TV/ video and film production in Newport. When I started here I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do, this course opens so many doors but I really loved making videos and want to take that further. I was putting my music dreams on the back burner thinking that I just couldn’t do it any more; this place has just relit a fire underneath me again. Julie, Art and Design (click here for the Full Interview) I come from Leeds where I was a manager in an FE college, managing lots of different things, it was a very varied job. I was made redundant after nearly 13 years and thought I could either crumble
at the news or look on it as opportunity to do something that I wanted to do
for a long while. So I grasped the opportunity. It has been a fabulous experience and very very challenging at times. I hadn’t had a pencil in my hand since I was about 12, therefore it was all totally new, its just been a really good experience. Stuart, Multimedia (click here for the Full Interview) Before coming to Coleg Harlech I was a Meat Manager at ASDA in Pwllheli. I got tired of working for other people and decided to do something for myself. My wife saw the advert and prompted me to go for it. It was scary to start off with, I hadn’t done anything like this for at least 36 years, and everything was a lot faster. It was a very big gamble, especially when you are giving up a paid job to come here, but it was well worth it. When I arrived at college I found out I was dyslexic, the support has been unbelievable. I now know why I wasn’t able to do certain things in the past. Understanding this has given me a lot of confidence. Katy, Social Studies (click here for the Full Interview) I had been unemployed for a while before coming here, I had done some night courses but decided I wanted to get back into full time education, spotted the advert, applied and here I am. I’m interested in psychology and the Social Studies course really suited me. There have been challenging bits to the course but in general it has been fantastic, the tutors have been so supportive - I’ve used the college counsellor a few times which has been really helpful, I’ve found it easier to have someone to talk to. I’ve always known that someone from student support would be there if I needed them. This may sound stupid, but I used to get bullied loads when I was at school and at college doing my A levels, this is the first full time educational establishment I have been in where there has been no bullying whatsoever. That was one thing I was genuinely concerned about, will people get at me – but no absolutely not. Wendy, Social Studies (click here for the Full Interview) Immediately before I came here I was working for the Celtic Herbal Company which makes organic soaps, I’ve also raised a family and had various other jobs. I was actually here 20 years ago doing the Social Studies course but I had two more babies which encroached on my studies so I gave up. Twenty years later I decided to come back, my eldest graduated from Bangor last year and watching her graduate was such a moment and she said “you can do it, go on”. The course has been interesting, stimulating, challenging, it’s been everything I thought it would be. Jamie, Social Studies (click here for the Full Interview) I was unemployed, on sick leave and homeless before coming to Coleg Harlech. I had been living in a van for a few years, with very little opportunity for advancement in any direction. I have no qualifications and I’m in my 50’s now so its getting harder and harder to get work.I was going round and round without getting anywhere. I’d been looking into study, realised that I had no training and that I needed to get into college. I had a history of care work, so I went to my local college to see what courses were available, but I discovered that all the courses I was looking at wanted a foundation course. My idea was that I could get a care job and get the employers to train me, but no job meant no training. It’s a great course, its very, very challenging, I haven’t studied in more years than I care to remember. Its at least 32 years since I left school and did any study so I was very worried about it but I have found the tutors and the tutorials and extra support fantastic. Craig, Music Technology (click here for the Full Interview) I was working at Morrisons for 8 years, decided I needed to move on and learn new things, do more what I was interested in rather than stacking shelves. There was an option of going up the ladder, but I started when I was 17 and it wasn’t something I wanted to do. I have always had an interest in music so decided to follow that. I am interested in the technical side working with dance music, now I get the chance to work with live instruments, it has broadened out what can do. Charlotte, Music Technology (click here for the Full Interview) I wasn’t doing a lot before coming to Coleg Harlech, I had dropped out of university a few years ago after choosing the wrong course. I had a number of part time jobs and was just bumming around really. My love of music prompted me to come, Mum saw an advert in the paper and suggested I apply for it. I had gone for a number of music jobs and not been very successful, so I ended up here. I have dyslexia so I spend lot of time in student support, it is brilliant. I’ve never had so much support with this. One of the main reasons I left university was because I didn’t get much support. Andrew, Multimedia (click here for the Full Interview) Before coming to Coleg Harlech I was the manager of a pub in the Isle of Man, I’d done this since leaving school. I wanted to go into computer programming but the courses at the local college weren’t suitable, then I saw an advert in the Daily Mail for Coleg Harlech and decided to look into that. It was the creative element of the course which attracted me, with this qualification there is a wide range of areas I could go into including video, photography and computer graphics and animation. The first month is hard but I would definitely say it is worth sticking at. Andrew, Art and Design (click here for the Full Interview) I moved to Wales 6 years ago from the s east of England, the last 5 years have been traumatic in life, and by last April I found myself on my own, my wife had died, my son had moved out and I was staring at the walls wondering what to do. I’d been interested in photography for more years than I can remember and thought perhaps I could go and do a photography degree. I’ve been in education as a tutor and other things for a lot of years so I thought I need to go and get a foundation course somewhere, I knew Coleg Harlech did the Art and Design course, having first looked at it 25 years ago, I thought there it is, go and do it, that’s what I did. Andrew, Multimedia (click here for the Full Interview) Before coming to Coleg Harlech I had been a fireman for 18 years. After leaving the fire service I went abroad for a while, when I came back I wondered what to do next. I saw an advert in the Daily Mirror, applied, within a week I was interviewed and a week later I had started my course! Day one was very scary, it was hard work at first and at times I wondered what
I was doing here. The easy option would have been to go back to the fire service. I have found it very challenging, I had never used a computer before apart from sending emails. However I have put in lots of hours in the library working out how to do things, I really focussed and was extremely pleased to get A’s and B’s in my first terms modules, this was a real highlight as I didn’t apply myself at school. John, Art and Design (click here for the Full Interview) I was living, unemployed, in a HMO in the West End of Rhyl going nowhere. Little did I realise the profound effect it would have on my life. I was accepted
onto a Visual Arts course, which for me was a big struggle, having not been
at 'school' for over 30 years. I am currently due to start my second year on a BA (Hons) Ceramics at UWIC. I'm also starting part time courses in Chemistry and Maths as I'll need them If I want to go on to a PGCE when I graduate. Rob, Social Studies (click here for the Full Interview) Before I came to Coleg Harlech I was working in my family business, we were running bars and restaurants. I had a lot of worries about coming back into education, I’m 39 now so its 22 yrs since I last wrote an essay, and I wasn’t even much of a book reader. It was a bit of a shock at the first but it’s been a fantastic experience, I’ve loved every minute of it and can’t believe I’ve nearly finished, it’s flown past. John, Art and Design (click here for the Full Interview) I’d been travelling for the last 4 years, to Australia, India and Spain.
I saw an advert in the paper on one of my visits home. The thing that drew my attention was the dyslexia, I’d never been tested
for it but I knew I had a problem with reading and writing, I never had much
of an education when I was at school, perhaps some on my part but also the teachers. To be honest with you its one of the best things I’ve ever done. Kenny, Multimedia (click here for the Full Interview) I was a chef for 14 years which I liked for the first maybe 8-9 years, and then I worked for someone who made Gordon Ramsey look like Delia Smith. I had one chef who threw crockery at you, so I went to work for another chef who was fine for the first year and then it started again. Janet, Art and Design(click here for the Full Interview) I grew up during the fifties in a South Yorkshire mining community with feeling that my call in life was only to be a wife and mother. Throughout my schooling I was held back due to my father’s attitude and was not allowed to do homework. I was in the bottom stream and my destiny was mapped out for me by the career’s advisor. This was to work in the factories or the mill. My children are now grown up and I have been working in an office. Although I enjoyed the challenge, creativity was becoming a strong desire. I wished to study this at a higher level but thought that I was too old. Where could I to go to now? I needed a fresh challenge, but what should I do? Retirement was drawing near. Physically I was ready and I still had energy, where was it to go? Coleg Harlech North Wales, was looking back at me from a cut out advertisement. Daniel Music Technology (click here for the Full Interview) I wasn’t doing much before I came here, I was in and out of dead end jobs, doing bar work, stacking shelves and so decided I needed to change I thought again this year about coming to college and here I am, it’s the best thing I’ve done. Lakpa Social Studies (click here for the Full Interview) Before I came to college I was working at a residential home for 3 years before that I was living in Nepal. In Nepal, and a lot of Asian countries, daughters don’t have the opportunity to go to school - they think it’s a waste of time to educate them especially in remote areas, parents also are not educated. I have worked with refugees, victims of torture and elderly people, so social studies interests me because it goes along with what I have done. Coleg Harlech is a very good place to come and pick up your study again, its fantastic that you get paid, food, and taught as well everything is included – in my country, at my age, even if you wanted to pay there is no one there to teach you. It also opens a lot of opportunities for people; a lot of people here have a very good future. Ceri Art and Design (click here for the Full Interview) Before I came to Coleg Harlech I worked in an art shop in Barmouth, framing pictures and mounting. I’ve always being interested in art, which is why I worked in the shop, and I thought I want to learn more about it. I hadn’t done anything like this before and I was scared at the beginning, however after the first couple of weeks you settle down and get used to things, it’s definitely worth it. Sean Durkin (click here for the Full Interview) "Before coming here I lived a normal life, I'd been a fireman for 8 years and looked after young offenders. I've never done anything academic ever, not got a qualification to my name, so this was huge." Rob Yates (click here for the Full Interview) "Before I came to Harlech I was living in a homeless hostel in Taunton, Somerset. Before that was living in Swindon, I was having difficulty because I had just moved and then lost my job so I was getting bit down. I went to Somerset and lived in hostel and that is where I found out about Coleg Harlech." Raana Kalim (click here for the Full Interview) "Before I came to Harlech I was doing voluntary work in different places. I moved to England from Pakistan and realised that if I want to work in England and understand the community I need experience, so I offered my services without pay working with children and women." Mark Green (click here for the Full Interview) "My interests were in music, I was looking for an education that was for someone of my age, which is quite rare. As I hadn't got any qualifications I thought this might help me get employment in the future, or self employment come to that." Rachin Weetch (click here for the Full Interview) "My girlfriend threw me out so I moved into a hostel. There I told them I wanted to do music technology, my key worker got back to me within 24 hrs about this course, within a week I was here on a taster and 2 weeks later I had moved to Harlech." Nathan Hughes (click here for the Full Interview) "Before coming to Harlech I was doing voluntary work with children with autism and other disabilities. I have bipolar disorder and was unable to work at the time, it was a huge change to come and do a full time course." Mark (click here for the Full Interview) "I am from London , I had been in prison for a long time and got a flat from the council, was in a dead end job, with no education. I was a qualified chef which I learnt inside but when I tried to get job in London but was really hard." |
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