“I already had some of the practical skills for my work, but I could only get so far. Now I can go further”

Before coming to the College, Tarkan had found that, without formal qualifications, his hard work would only ever get him so far in any particular line of work.

“I’d done lots of different things, but without a solid basis of training I always got to a point where I wasn’t going to progress even though I knew I was capable. I was working as a plumber, so I already had some of the practical skills for my work. Now that my course has filled in the theoretical and legal side of things, I can go further. Some of the most useful modules are the ones that teach professional ethics and practices. Plus, I can be confident that I can talk to my teachers about all of the latest developments in my trade.”

“I think I took to the course pretty well – I came to every class on time, put in the hours in the library and got good marks, but it all seemed natural to do, because I enjoyed it so much.”

Besides becoming a fully qualified plumber – and opening up much wider career opportunities – there have been other rewards for Tarkan’s efforts: in 2007, he won a College Excellence Award.