Gillian Gray

Gillian Gray (26) completed an HND in Administration and IT in the summer and has already secured a full-time job as a finance and administration assistant in the energy industry.

As soon as she left Inverurie Academy, Gillian started studying at NESCol, trying out a few options including HND Music, Higher Psychology and NC Childcare. This led her to starting a degree in primary teaching which she quickly discovered was not the career for her. She then found a job in a hotel which she loved but, sadly, it didn’t become a long-term option.

Gillian then realised she couldn’t find a similar job elsewhere without some experience or qualifications. This led her back to NESCol where she applied for a place on an introductory course in administration.

She said: “I originally applied for the introductory level course but the college recommended I go straight into the HNC level. In the end, we compromised on the level below HNC – an NC SCQF Level 6. College staff were really helpful and I appreciated the time they took to assess my needs and make recommendations.”

The next three years saw Gillian complete the NC and then progress to HND level. She added: “I am dyslexic and suffer with my mental health so it was great to be assigned the same support tutor for three years. She was always available to talk to if I found myself in crises and I felt really well supported.

“The teaching staff really know their stuff which made me feel so confident in the content I was learning and in my own ability. I found the timetables were really well put together making it easy to set up a regular routine which is important to me.”

Gillian feels her qualification made her stand out from the crowd when she applied for her current position and showed that she is more than able to do the job. In the future, she is keen to work her way up to a manager role.

She said: “I feel I am the best version of myself I’ve ever been and I couldn’t have done it without NESCol.”