Our Level 3 students have been sharing their dreams for the future after celebrating their final results.
T Level and BTEC students, along with A levels students at Leeds Sixth Form College (LSFC), received their final grades on Thursday 15 August.
For many, the day marked a chance to relax and reflect after years of hard work, and – at Park Lane campus – to talk about their next steps with TV, radio and newspaper teams.
Digital and IT T Level student Loukas Arthington was one of a number who will be carrying on their training through a degree apprenticeship.
Loukas said he was ‘really happy’ to have gained a distinction in his T Level. Looking forward to taking up his apprenticeship with Leeds Beckett University, he explained the appeal: “I’ll be getting paid while doing it so not having to get in debt, while also being paid, is going to be good!”
Our new Students Union President, Shaik Mohammed Qasim, meanwhile was pleased to receive a merit in his Level 3 BTEC in Aviation.
Shaik is still considering a future that sees him land his dream job, as a pilot. For the next few years, though, he is going to focus on working and developing his SU role and interest in politics.
He said: “I’m extremely happy with my result, I’ve really been putting the work in so I got the reward.
“Now I’m working as the SU President here and that’s what I intend to do next year, run for a second year in the elections and hopefully win.”
Health, plus Education and Early Years T Level students, meanwhile, came into Quarry Hill campus to celebrate their results.
Leah Griffiths’ distinction in her Health T Level – which includes a placement in a hospital or healthcare setting – means she has secured a place at the University of Leeds, where she will study adult nursing.
Reflecting on her course and time with Leeds City College, she said: “It’s been absolutely amazing, it’s such a good opportunity to learn what you actually want to do.”
That was a view echoed by Patryk Aniolkowski, who achieved a distinction in his T Level Education and Childcare course. Patryk said: “I most enjoyed going to Spain for a two week placement where we had the opportunity to teach in a Spanish school.”
A level students at LSFC also had a great day, with Toby Oughton claiming ‘bragging rights for life’ after becoming one of our very first students to secure a place at Oxford University.
The 18 year old celebrated his achievement – secured with As in Philosophy and Psychology and a B in Fine Art – with a shout of joy and a lap of the Park Lane campus.
He said: “I’m so unbelievably happy, I’ve been so stressed for the last few months.
“It’s not been easy and there’s been a lot of work, but it paid off. I‘m going to Oxford and I’m one of the first from here to do so – so I get bragging rights for life!
“I will be getting some friends together and having a drink to celebrate.”
He is now looking forward to starting at Oxford, where he will study philosophy and theology, this autumn.
Others celebrating included Dawud Fiaz, whose results – two As and an A* – mean he will be heading to Kings College London later this year to study social sciences.
Fellow A level student Jason Cheung, meanwhile, achieved As in History, Geography and Maths and will now study geology at the University of Leeds. He said: “It has been a great two years and I’ve met some inspiring teachers, especially my geography teacher who inspired me to go down this career path.
“Great people, great place!”
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‘An absolute pleasure’.
That is how Yorkshire-based legal practice XYZ Law has described hosting its very first T Level student, after linking up with Leeds City College.
Yaaseen Patel spent nine weeks with the company as part of his Digital Support Services T Level, and excelled in the IT and administration role.
This was exactly the kind of practical experience that Yaaseen was hoping for when he chose to go down the T Level path – which has industry placements at its heart.
He said: “I have always been interested in IT and had digital skills, so I knew I wanted to have a career in the field.
“I decided to follow the T Level route when I was in sixth form and was bored with just desk-based classroom work all the time. T levels offered hands-on learning experience, which appealed to me.
“My role in XYZ Law was to research and compare remote working surveillance and chatbots for the company, then present it to the team. I also learned a lot about how their admin and IT side works.
“I really enjoyed it and learned a lot about how a law firm operates.”
For the business, meanwhile – which operates throughout the UK and has its head office in Dewsbury – the placement represented a very positive introduction to the world of T Level placements.
HR manager Mollie Wright said:”It was an absolute pleasure to have Yaaseen join our team.
“He was amazing at communicating throughout and completed every task to a high standard, while also showing an interest in different aspects of the firm. As well as doing great at his work, Yaaseen also settled really well into the team.
“This placement was an opportunity for us to support a young person in achieving their qualification, while having an extra person to assist the business. It was our first T Level placement and we are looking forward to taking on someone else in the future.”
Yaaseen, who has now completed his T Level, added: “I would recommend the course to students who are interested in doing an apprenticeship or full time employment after college.
“The work placement is very beneficial for your CV and gives you a higher chance of becoming employable.”
He is now preparing to study IT at university.
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“Studying fashion taught me to be free and push boundaries.” That’s how Rafael Azevedo, a second year Fashion & Textiles Level 3 student, sums up his experience at Leeds City College.
But graduating was just one of this year’s highlights for the 18 year old, as he was also recently crowned ‘Graduate Fashion Designer of the Year 2024’ at the prestigious Fashion Week Awards UK – an accolade he never dreamt of achieving when he first started out.
We chatted to Rafael about his transformational journey from fashion novice to fashion expert.
I have always been surrounded by the creative industry but, to be honest, fashion was actually a last-minute decision. At first I was set on doing architecture but ended up deciding that I wanted something more ‘hands on’.
I was actually making my own prom outfit at the time and remember asking myself ‘‘how hard can fashion be?’.
That was that!
I came across the Fashion Week Awards through Cheshire Fashion Week (CFW). In June 2023 I was applying for internships and managed to secure a work placement at CFW as a backstage coordinator.
This enabled me to meet a lot of designers and industry professionals, one of whom was Creative Director Claire Namukolo Raven. It turned out that Fashion Week Awards UK is organised and sponsored by CFW (along with Fashion Week Arts and Porsche Cheshire).
When I saw that they were looking for designer applications for their SS24 show, I was intrigued and contacted Claire who asked if I would be interested in submitting an application for the awards. I instantly said yes.
I had no clue I was going to win the Graduate Fashion Designer of the Year award on the day itself. It was a lovely surprise!
There were about 10 designers in each award category and we had to exhibit a portfolio of work that depicted our level of skill and creativity. The final result was a beautiful collection of clothing evoking the past and the present; contemporary cuts paired with time-old textiles and techniques such as stitching, weaving and crochet.
I am so pleased I am the graduate fashion designer of the year for 2024 – especially as I’m only 18 years of age and have just finished college. I still can’t believe I was up against people who exhibited at other fashion weeks and have studied university degrees in fashion.
Providing that all goes well on results day (Thursday 15 August 2024), I plan to study for a degree at the University of the Arts London (UAL).
Winning the award has made me so excited for the future, both at UAL and beyond, and to see what I will be able to make of myself within the next four years.
I used to be quite shy, but studying a fashion design course helped me to develop a voice and has taught me how to speak out.
I’ve always had a distinct creative style and, since coming to college, I’ve been able to be more free and to push boundaries. The result is that I now create work that I really enjoy without worrying about the opinions of others.
I’ve met so many people since starting my journey in fashion design that it’s hard to pick just one, but two designers who I’ve been lucky to work for – and be influenced by – are Eden Keshia and Elisa Trombatore.
I’m grateful for their constant support and kindness, as well as the skills I learnt during my time with them. Both designers have shown that the industry isn’t as scary as people make it out to be.
Pick something you really like and master it – try to be as good as you can.
The fashion industry can be tough and you need to be prepared to be sewing away until midnight – especially as a young creative (there’s a tendency for people to see you as ‘inexperienced’).
But accept those rejections and use them as motivation to succeed.
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