Made at HRC Case Studies

Amanda is currently studying HND Stadium and Event Management here at Hertford Regional College. Amanda will be completing her course in June 2020 and has recently taken on a new role here at the college as Community Schools and Marketing Liaison Officer.

Background

Prior to starting the course at HRC, Amanda raised four children and in recent years decided, she wanted to get back into education. “When my four boys became self-sufficient, I knew I wanted to follow my passion and gain a new qualification. For years, I worked as a freelance banker and as a bookkeeper and treasurer for my children’s football clubs so I could fit my life around them.” However, Amanda had always been involved in planning and delivering community events both “in my personal and professional life” so naturally, it was the next step in her career.

“I love being such a big part of the community so it felt right to gain a qualification to support with the planning of events and community cohesion”

The Course

Our HND Stadium and Event Management course offer an exciting opportunity to develop skills and knowledge in the event and hospitality industry and the specialist branch of stadium events. Amanda said, “This course covers such a wide range of topics such as customer service, marketing and operational management (my favourite)”

“As part of the first year of the course, I planned and delivered the Ware Dickensian evening in support of Jan wing and the Dickensian Committee. It was a fantastic opportunity to own my own project and to witness the success of the evening; it felt so rewarding and definitely made it all worthwhile.”

“My favourite part of the course has simply been planning the events and bringing the community together. I’m also passionate about charity work, so it’s been exciting to be able to incorporate a number of local charities in the events I have planned.”

Challenges Faced

“At one point before starting the course, I did wonder if it was too late for me to start a new career and get back into education. Although, I don’t think it’s ever too late to follow your dream and I don’t think this should ever put people off. The tutors on my course have been so supportive throughout my time here over the last three years, it’s been a phenomenal experience and I am so proud of what I have achieved.”

“What attracted me to HRC, in particular, was the innovative building and fantastic facilities – I definitely recommend the college as a great place to study!”

Future Goals

Recently, Amanda was successfully offered the position of a brand new role within the marketing team at HRC as Community Schools and Marketing Liaison Officer. She said “my ultimate goal was to work for an institution within the community and work alongside the Hertfordshire County Council to plan events for the local community. I have finally found my dream role and am continuing to work hard to build a career doing something I have always enjoyed.”

We would like to wish Amanda every success in her new role.

If you would like to find out more about the HND Stadium and Event Management Course we offer at HRC, please see here.

Emma has recently finished her Foundation Degree in Fine Art Practice.

Why a foundation degree at HRC?

Emma joined us straight from having completed her A Levels at Highfield Sixth Form in Letchworth, prior to this Emma was considering taking on a Higher Education qualification in the creative industry but was unsure where best to study. After visiting HRC for an Open Evening she knew it was the place for her: “the people were so friendly, the facilities were amazing and there was so much space to work” Despite the commute being quite long from Letchworth, Emma was set on undertaking the Fine Art Practice Foundation Degree. She wanted to live at home but still earn a degree and the ability to have “more one-to-one time and support” from HRC tutors was the deciding factor for her. Since joining, Emma has worked with multiple medias including digital design, film and photography, tackled work experience projects and studied wider issues that art can impact including social and ethical issues.

Being challenged

When Emma joined HRC she was conscious that her confidence wasn’t that high and it was something she wanted to improve. Moving from school to college meant Emma had the chance to push herself out of her comfort zone, meet new people and develop new friendship groups. She is also very happy with how her written skills have improved during her time at the college, which she is sure will support her in her future career.

The future

Emma has now completed her Foundation Degree and spent the summer travelling Australia with friends. After we caught up with Emma at her HRC Graduation Day and hearing about her summer travelling, Emma is now on the hunt for an apprenticeship in marketing, which our apprenticeship team are pleased to hear! Emma likes the idea of mixing creative and marketing and is hoping an apprenticeship will give her a well-rounded approach towards branding and campaign design.

HRC will continue to support Emma on her journey to ensure that she manages to reach her future destination.

Click here to find out more about our Higher Education options or click here for our Art and Design courses.

Katherine joined Hertford Regional College in September 2014 to study the Foundation Degree Creative Enterprise in Fine Art Practice. Before beginning her Higher Education course at HRC, Katherine studied her “A-levels in school, and then went onto university and did my first degree in Art History.

I didn’t end up with a job in the field because I couldn’t stand the idea of sitting at a desk all day.”

Why a Foundation Degree at HRC?

Of the benefits of studying a Higher Education qualification with HRC, Katherine says “The college offered good facilities, a significant amount of skills, teaching was near to where I was going to be living and it was priced reasonably. It also had a work-based element to the course, which I felt would be really valuable when I completed.”

Katherine has always wanted to work in the creative sector but never really knew what this looked like as a career. “It was only after a lot of years working in another sector that I decided I wanted to go back and pursue Art as a career.”

Extending her skills

Katherine says that the “course helped me to extend my skills in drawing and painting; I learnt a lot about the different types of printmaking and had a chance to experiment with sculpture. I was able to speak to tutors about my ideas as well as to my peer group. What I really learnt was how to be inventive with the resources that I had available to me in order to create a piece of work. I gained some ideas about what work in the Arts sector looked like, what kinds of jobs were available and what experience I needed to gain during my course to apply for them.

Worries and concerns

Before graduating, Katherine was concerned that she was “going to end up back in a full time job that I didn’t enjoy and that I wouldn’t have the skills and determination to make a career as an artist in the art sector. My tutors were able to reflect back to me all the work I had done and give me confidence in my skills. I had the chance through our end of year show to go on and apply for an artist residency at Courtyard Arts Centre. The tutors at HRC have carried on supporting me since I graduated, coming to my exhibitions and giving me career advice when I need it.”

Working on interesting projects

Katherine says the main benefits of her course was that “You’ll learn how to rely on your own skills and how to ask for support in a productive way. You’ll have the chance to work on interesting work-based projects that will help you understand and seize future work opportunities once you leave. You can follow your own creative dreams with the only limitations being your ability to problem solve with your tutors and peers. Finally, you will develop your practical creative skills in a lot of areas, from graphic design, software, sculptures, prints and even some visual merchandising. The technicians who work at the college are fantastic, they will help you make your art projects work and you’ll learn so much from watching how they work the machines and make exhibitions come together.”

The future

Katherine says she would recommend HRC and “this course to anyone thinking of following a career in art. It gives you so much more than just the art skills.” Her goals in the future are “to be a working artist. I hope to be working with communities and showing my art in unconventional ways and spaces as well as in galleries. I’ll be supporting myself through art sales, funding bits to develop my practice and mixture of freelance work in teaching and arts project co-ordination roles.”

Click here to find out more about our Higher Education options or click here for our Art and Design courses.

Kirsty is currently studying the Level 5 Foundation Degree Visual Merchandising and is also employed full time at a jewellers. Prior to this she studied BTEC Fashion and Clothing.

The reason Kirsty chose this course was because she “had experience with displays in jewellers and wanted to get proper qualifications to work in different retail areas”. She “previously wanted to go into fashion but enjoyed working in the jewellers more!”

Kirsty’s course covers “Computer-Aided Design (CAD), displays and display theory”. The benefit of Kirsty’s course is that it’s “mostly practical and I find it easier to learn this way”. She would recommend her course and HRC to others.

In the future, Kirsty hopes “to progress onto a top up year to get my BA Honours”.

HRC will continue to support Kirsty on her journey to ensure that she manages to reach her future destination.

Click here to find out more about our Art & Design courses, or here to find out more about Higher Education.

Sharon is currently studying a HND in Stadium and Event Management on a Part-Time course here at Hertford Regional College. She is hoping to have completed her course by June 2020 and go on to top up her qualification to a full degree.

Background

Prior to the HE course, Sharon had been “working in events for the last 10 years.”

“I was enrolling my nephew on his course and saw the details of the Event Management course.” After finishing school in the late 80’s this was a great new and exciting challenge for Sharon to help her thrive and push forward her career. She claims “it was a case of me being able to back up my experience with a qualification.”

Course Experience

“Academics writing was new to me and is something I am still trying to master.” This is a challenge that Sharon faced when first starting out on her new course, however the course covers a variety of aspects to help her overcome these challenges.

She believes HRC is a great place to study and would recommend the college to anyone considering this course. Some examples of what the course covers include: Marketing, Customer Service, Finance, Events Safety and Crowd Management.

Benefits and Future Goals

As it’s a Part-Time course, it allows Sharon the flexibility she needs around her career, giving her time to work and “do the rest in my own time whenever it suits me.” Her future goals are “to manage a large 10,000+ Capacity Venue.”

Click here to find out more about our Catering, Hospiitality & Event Management courses. 

Rebecca has recently finished her final year of the Visual Merchandising Foundation Degree after she previously studied a BTEC National Diploma in Visual Merchandising for 2 years.

Why HRC?

Rebecca has always been “interested in fashion” and wanted to find a way to earn her place in the industry. For her, HRC seemed like a great place to start. “It’s close to home and I wanted more on my CV, which is why I stayed so I could gain more qualifications.” Within the course, “we covered CAD design and designing concepts for retail.” Rebecca particularly found that the main benefits to her course were “work placements, live briefs and learning basic techniques of visual merchandising.”

Challenges and goals

Visual merchandising is a very competitive industry and standing out from the crowd is vital, especially when working with high-end clients. Rebecca believes the hardest part of the course is “getting displays to a high standard as you have to think above and beyond, especially if you want your work to be displayed somewhere like Harrods.” Her future goal is to work in a high-end store in London, so is currently gaining all the experience she can to strive towards her chosen career path.

The competition

Rebecca competed in the graduate challenge Harrods Competition 2018 for Luxury Branding and came in the top 3! Following a strict design brief, Rebecca curated a killer piece which didn’t fail to get her noticed. “Corneliani was my brand, I made hexagons in the back wall which were made of wool. I had burnt thread from the mannequin to the floor, it was a great experience!” We pride ourselves and our staff at HRC for their industry knowledge and contacts they have, which help our students progress and gain employability skills. The show was a really great way to show the students how to work and design a brief to a client’s needs. Rebecca said “I have been to the show before but never taken part, it was nice to see everyone set up. It’s a great way to gain contacts from people at the event to help you get into the industry.”

“I am now doing what I always wanted to do!”

If you feel inspired by Rebecca's story and would like to apply or find out more about our Foundation Degree in Visual Merchandising, please click here to re-direct you to the right page.

Ryan is coming to the end of his 2-year Graphic Design Foundation Degree at Hertford Regional College (in partnership of University of Hertfordshire) after previously completing 2 years of media production degree at Northumbria University in Newcastle.

Starting out

Prior to Ryan studying for 2 years at Northumbria, he studied at Hertford Regional College as an acting student at Level 3. After realising Media wasn’t what he wanted to do, he decided to return to us here at HRC as he “had always been interested in Graphic Design and liked studying at this college from a previous course.”

Benefits of the course

Our University Level Graphic Design course covers a wide range of digital and creative aspects, such as “editorial design, illustration, and digital skills” to help our students prepare for this competitive job sector. Ryan initially said, “Learning creative digital software has been a challenge but through workshops at HRC and advice from tutors, I feel confident creating work digitally now.” Ryan said he was also able to feel more confident in creating new graphic material as he had “a lot of contact time with tutors” which meant he could gain feedback on the work he was producing and enable him to assess areas of development.

Final Comments

“I have always wanted to have a career in the creative art and design industry and am happy with the graphic design/illustration career direction for myself.” Ryan said he would definitely recommend HRC as a great place to study and his future goal is “to be happy in the career choices I make.”

If you would like to see the Higher Education courses we offer at HRC, click here to find out more! 

Sam has recently completed his 2-year course as a graphic design foundation degree student in June 2018 (levels 4 &5).

Beginnings

Prior to the course, Sam was in full-time work at Hertfordshire County Council, however, he decided he wanted to get back into education and gain a qualification. Choosing this course “seemed suitable for someone who had been out of education and felt I would receive more support than I would attending the Bachelors.” Sam also said he was attracted to this course in particular as “it was cheaper than university and it required less UCAS points for entry.”

Challenges

“Initially, I was worried I wouldn’t have the technical skills to keep up as I hadn’t used the software in a while.” However, Sam gained a lot of support and felt confident in the knowledge he would gain from being taught by industry specialists. “Having a tutor that is working in the industry was a great help and the feedback about my work was honest but constructive so I knew how I could improve”

Sam also said he “used to be very nervous about speaking in front of a group of people but I feel a lot more at ease when doing this now.” Sam has overcome his fears after reaching the end of his journey as a foundation degree student, and now feels “a lot more confident in myself and my abilities as a designer.”

The Course

“The course covers basics in graphic design such as the relevant software’s and the process of design, from research to final outcome." During the 2-year foundation degree, the course “teaches you about what is required to enter into the industry, especially with regards to skills and qualities.”

Live briefs are a key part to all of our foundation degrees courses. This helps all of our learners gain better employability skills which are especially fundamental in this industry. Sam believes the live briefs have been “helpful, as you learn how processes work in a real working environment with real clients.”

After talking with Sam about the experiences he has gained during the course, he said “I really enjoy graphic design and currently have an internship with Cariad Marketing and have a placement arranged with GAS Brand Studio, which I am hoping will turn into employment. I have also been put in touch with various other places where there has been opportunities and prospects, all of which were sourced by the college.”

“The course provides you with a stepping stone to network with people who work in the places you want to work in and ultimately gives you useful links to the industry.”

Future Prospects

“Short term I am looking to continue my studies at the University of Hertfordshire to obtain my bachelor’s degree. I will continue to work at my internship Cariad Marketing and I have some other options lined up later in the year. After this, I would really love to be working in branding and ultimately start my own design company.”

If you feel inspired by Sam's story and would like to find out more about our Foundation Degree courses, please click here to find out more. 🙋

Brooke is currently studying a Foundation Degree in Visual Merchandising at HRC. Her most recent success is winning GOLD at the graduate challenge Harrods Competition 2018 for luxury branding.

Your Course…

Initially, Brooke “wanted to go into photography.” However, she became interested in our HE VM course offered at Hertford Regional after attending one of our open days. After finding out more about the course, she decided she wanted to broaden her skills and qualifications to become more “diverse.”

“The course allows you to develop skills you didn’t have before.” Visual Merchandising is a broad concept which covers “CAD design, designing concepts for retail, work placements, live briefs and lot’s more.” Brooke found that the live briefs were especially beneficial as you “actually get a feel of what it is like to work in the industry.”

The Competition

Students from London College Fashion, Hertford College and Hugh Baird College went head-to-head in the graduate challenge, following a strict design brief set by the luxury department store, Harrods. Brooke designed, curated and project managed an incredible piece with the brief of “men’s wear tailoring”. She was selected to take part in the show by the British Display Society who judged over 15 displays. “I created 70 tin can bugs for a Gucci display” an amazing experience for Brooke to be a part of and we are proud to say she won the competition. Brooke was awarded with a one month’s placement at Harrods in August 2018 which she is “really excited about” and potentially a full time job.

“Hard work pays off!”

Click here to find out more about our Visual Merchandising Foundation Degree or more info to find out more about our Higher Education courses,

Sasha recently graduated from his 2-year Foundation Degree course (Levels 4 & 5) in Three Dimensional Design and is about to begin his career in Bishop Stortford as a Design Engineer.

Why HRC?

Before Sasha started here at Hertford Regional College, he completed a BTEC national diploma in engineering at a college elsewhere. Sasha said he was attracted to HRC “because of the facilities, diversity of the course and the curriculum we offer.” The course covers so many aspects of 3D design such as “interior and jewellery design,” although the course itself is “a great opportunity to explore your creativity and cross pathways with other creative enterprise courses… including graphic design!”

What part of your course did you enjoy the most?

Sasha said, “My favourite part of the course definitely had to be designing and building my final major project.” As part of the curriculum outcome, all of our foundation degree students are required to take on their own final major project, using their new skills and creative knowledge gained over the 2-year course. Sasha chose to design “a car showroom based on a car's brand, I decided to pick Lamborghini” which was a lot of fun to be a part of, “the course just covers so much and it’s a great experience!”

Did you face any barriers on the course?

Whilst the course was very enjoyable, Sasha said he initially “struggled a lot with time restraints, I couldn’t work to the dates set and organise my time.” This is something Sasha felt improved throughout the duration of the course and now feels confident that he can “balance my time, I’m a lot better since starting this course.”

Future prospects

“My future goal is to progress as a CAD (Computer Aided Design) designer because that has been my main focus throughout the course and it’s what I enjoy.” Sasha gained valuable experience whilst on the course and has now got a job lined up as a Design Engineer for a local company in Bishop Stortford.

We wish Sasha all the best in his career!

If you feel inspired by Sasha's story or would like to know more about the foundation courses we offer, click here!

Elizabeth has just graduated with a Diploma in Education and Training with future aspirations to teach beauty therapy.

Where it began

Previously, Elizabeth “worked as a receptionist part-time whilst attending HRC to study beauty therapy at levels 2 and 3.” Elizabeth really enjoyed her time at the college and aspires to teach what she loves. After the completion of her beauty therapy course, she looked for Higher Education options that would enable her to gain a qualification and develop essential life skills, confidence, and independence. Elizabeth had “studied here previously which is why I wanted to come back.”

The course

“The best part of my course was shadowing a teacher, especially when it was a teacher that used to teach me. It was strange at first seeing the other side of it rather than being a student.” We asked Elizabeth to tell us a little more about what her course covered, she said: “The course covered a lot but what I really enjoyed was delivering lessons, doing lesson plans and getting to know the students.”

“It has just been a lovely experience.”

Challenges

“Teaching can be really hard at first, there was one point where I walked out crying because I didn’t think I could handle it. Looking back, I feel I really overcame that and surprised myself, I definitely feel a lot more confident now.” The support from the staff is really what makes the course a valuable experience. Elizabeth said, “My tutor Ian was amazing, he’s such a lovely guy and super helpful, I can’t fault him.”

Future Goals

“My future goals are to simply teach beauty.”

If you would like to find out more about our Teacher Training course, please click here.

Liam has recently completed a foundation degree in graphic design and will be graduating in October with a fantastic portfolio and his own brand design. 

Inspirations

Our Higher Education courses offer a wide range of trips and work placements to really inspire our students and their work. This year our students took a trip to Iceland, Liam said, “I was so inspired by the trip that I decided I wanted to design my own travel company.” The brand he created named ‘Odyssey’ is based around an “ancient Greek idea that has a fresh approach to travel.” The brand is inspired to “match people to their ideal holidays, I wanted something that was reflective of social media and how younger generations use the internet in their daily lives.”

“Initially I was stuck between the ideas of a travel company or a men’s grooming brand. However, taking the trip with HRC really confirmed that a travel company was the one for me.”

HE Grad Exhibition

All of our creative enterprise foundation students are required to complete a final major project to conclude the course and their qualification. At the end of the year, they are given the opportunity to exhibit their final project in the David Gentlemen Gallery based at our Ware Campus. This year’s incredible exhibition included all of Liam’s final design ideas for his brand company ‘Odyssey’ that took 2 months of hard work to put together. 

What’s next?

“I have loved doing my foundation degree, it has given me a realistic experience of what it’s like to work in the industry and I have had lots of work opportunities.”

“Now I have completed my course I am off to a work in the industry as a designer for an interior design company, which I’m really excited about. Long term I would like to be an Art Director/Graphic Director managing my own team of designers."

 “The more you put into it, the more you get out of it!”  

 We wish Liam the very best of luck.

To follow Liam’s story and his work, follow @liamosullivandesign on Instagram and support him through his journey.

To keep up to date with all of our creative enterprise student activities, follow our Instagram account @creative_enterprise_hub!

Dean graduated in October 2018 with an HND in Music Technology prior to completing his level 3 in Music at HRC.

Starting out

Dean attended HRC straight after school not knowing what he wanted to do. Initially, Dean completed a level 1 in sport but decided that it wasn’t the career choice for him. He wanted to move courses as “music is something I have always enjoyed and I wanted to better myself in my career.” Dean knew that he wanted to do another course at Hertford Regional College because the staff are so supportive and the specialist music equipment was exactly what he was looking for. We pride ourselves at HRC from how safe students feel when attending the college, which was also an important factor for Dean. He also said he liked the fact, “my friends attended here too and it’s close to home."

The course

Dean said, “I would definitely recommend this course and the college.” Both the courses he completed in Music over the 3 years taught him so much. “The best part of the course for me was covering live music performance and using the recording studio.” The music studio offers fantastic equipment which helps students to be as creative and expressive as they choose. The analogue desk is great for recording live performances and there’s a sound-proof vocal booth to reduce the noise level to -30 DBS which is especially a hit with our students.

Future

“Ideally I’d really like to get a job in a music studio, although if not then definitely somewhere else in the music industry.” Dean really has found his passion and we are excited to see how his hard work has paid off!

If you would like to know more about our HND Music course, please click here! If you would like to see our other higher education courses, click here.

Isabelle has recently graduated with an HNC in Public Services after completing her level 3 public services in 2017. She is now continuing here at HRC to complete her HND this year.

Why HRC?

Isabelle “previously attended the college so I already knew my way around, HRC just has a really friendly atmosphere.” Isabelle has attended HRC for over 2 years, she feels comfortable and safe at the college and believes it is a good place to “further progress your education.” This is something she has “always wanted to do” and believes HRC is the best place to do it.

Tell us about your course and tutors

Our Public Services tutors have an impressive array of medals and commendations from their time in the Army and Police force. Their experiences range from frontline policing to CID, rising through the ranks to Detective Constable and Sergeant in the Metropolitan Police and serving in the British Army. Isabelle told us about how much the course covers, even on areas you wouldn’t expect but are so invaluable. Some aspects include, “Sociology, global environment and a lot of educational background into policing.”

Future goals

Isabelle has now had over 2 years’ experience in public services and knows exactly where she’s heading. Isabelle said, “My future goal is to go into border force at an airport.” HRC has supported Isabelle throughout her journey and we are excited to see her succeed in her career!

To find out more about our Higher Education courses, click here!