GOAL CHANGE: DISTINCTION STUDENT MILLIE SETS SIGHTS ON UNIVERSITY
A student who arrived at Shipley College determined not to go to university has told how her experience at the College transformed her aspirations – and inspired her to pursue a career in children's nursing.
Millie Downey joined Shipley College from Emmanuel College to study T Level Education and Childcare. Her original plan was straightforward: complete a childcare qualification and then find a job working in a nursery.
University wasn't part of the plan.
But after achieving a Distinction – exceeding her predicted Merit grade – Millie is now planning to continue her education at the University of Huddersfield, with ambitions to pursue a career in children's nursing.
Millie said: “When I left school, I wanted to be a teaching assistant in a nursery. I didn't want to go to university. I just wanted to come and do a childcare course and then get a job in a nursery.
“Once I started at Shipley, the tutors and learning coaches made me think differently. I started looking further into university and realised there were courses that I really wanted to do.
“They helped me understand that university isn't just about the debt and that getting an extra qualification could help me go much further in life.”
Millie's success is also an example of Shipley College's focus on combining qualifications with real workplace experience.
New College figures show that 97% of Shipley College students take part in work experience, helping young people develop professional skills, build confidence and experience potential careers first-hand.
For Millie, that meant completing 750 hours of industry placement at Cavendish Primary School as an integral part of her T Level.
The experience gave her substantial responsibility in a real working environment, including planning activities, supporting children with additional needs and learning how professionals adapt their approach to meet the individual needs of children.
It also broadened her understanding of the different careers available to her and helped inspire her ambition to work more closely with vulnerable children through children's nursing.
Millie said: “The placement gave me experience of what working professionally is actually like. I was planning activities as if I was the class teacher, supporting children with additional needs and learning how you have to cater for different children's needs.
“It taught me professional behaviours, how to work with other people and how to communicate with children, families and other professionals.
“It definitely changed my mindset. It made me think more about working with vulnerable children and inspired me to look at children's nursing as the direction I want to take.”
Millie's journey wasn't without challenges. She had struggled with part of the first year of her course and had to resit, but says the additional support she received helped her turn that around and ultimately outperform expectations.
“I was really shocked because I achieved higher than my predicted grade,” she said.
“It was quite a challenging course, but I persevered through all the challenges. The tutors and previous Year 2 students helped us get ready for the exams and helped us through our placement observations.
“When I opened the email with my result, I was jumping with happiness and ringing my mum. It was such a shock because I wasn't expecting it.
“Having that extra support in Year 2 helped me get so much further.”
Millie believes Shipley College's smaller, supportive environment played an important part in changing both her academic performance and her ambitions.
“Because it's smaller, you get that extra support and all the tutors want to help you get the better grade,” she said.
“Everyone is so helpful and kind and you can always trust people. They've got the right support for you, whether it's to do with your work or something happening in your home life.”
Millie's journey from planning to move directly into nursery work to achieving a Distinction and setting her sights on university demonstrates the difference that the right combination of education, individual support and workplace experience can make.
Having once ruled out university altogether, she is now preparing for the University of Huddersfield and a future career in children's nursing – with ambitions considerably higher than when she first walked through the doors of Shipley College.