Saffy Blellock is taking her next step towards an IT career after excelling in her Cyber Security and Networking T Level.
Saffy recently completed her course with us, which included a rewarding industry placement at DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) Digital, in Leeds. She also enjoyed being one of our T Level and STEM Ambassadors, taking the lead in talking about the benefits of T Levels and technology-based careers to younger students and schoolchildren.
Now in the first year of her Degree Apprenticeship in Technology Services with Accenture and BPP University, she is convinced she was right to take ‘the T Level route’ after school.
She said: “I have always loved problem-solving and knew that I wanted to do something in cyber security or along those lines, and had heard about Leeds City College before, so I looked at the college’s IT courses as a ‘stepping stone’ to doing a degree apprenticeship later on.
“The course was great and the placement with DWP Digital was really nice, everyone was very welcoming. I got to work on a few different projects there, things involving data analysis and data trends, and once we even created an online knowledge article to tell people how to install different Adobe applications.”
Saffy is hoping to pick up a similar ambassadorial role during her time at Accenture’s Leeds base, where she now works four days a week, using the remaining weekday to study remotely with her university.
She said: “I’m aiming to become a Cyber First ambassador as part of my degree apprenticeship, which will involve promoting cyber security in schools. I’m really looking forward to starting that.”
As for her ultimate career destination, she is keeping that open for now – but knows it will be in the technology sector.
She said: “My degree is very broad to begin with and then lets you specialise in the final year, which is great, as it gives me a chance to learn a wide range of skills.
“Everyone at Accenture has been really welcoming and they arranged a meeting with people from all the different areas of the business, and the projects they’re working on, so I could find out what they were involved in.
“Whatever I end up doing I definitely want to stick to IT, perhaps going down the cyber security route but I like all sides of IT really – I enjoy problem solving!”
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When it came to deciding on his next educational step, for Pancham Mutneja the answer was clear – T Levels offered the ‘best of both worlds’.
His Digital Support Services course, like all T Levels, has provided a mixture of quality work experience, through an industry placement, and classroom learning.
And for Pancham, who is relishing his time with cyber security specialists Sep2 in Leeds, things are working out just as he’d hoped they would.
He said: “My T Level has helped me develop both my hard and soft skills. I’ve learned how to configure routers and firewalls, create a network, carry out risk assessments and produce a disaster recovery plan.
“The course has also helped me go out and explore more of the industry to see how it actually functions and how people interact with each other, which has helped me develop my communication skills and become more outgoing.
“It has opened up opportunities outside the classroom too; in summertime there were lots of events going on which we had the opportunity to go to and talk to people, to see if we might get a placement.
“Which is what I did, and landed myself a placement with Sep2 which I’m really proud of.”
Pancham is excited about the range of technology he will be sampling during his time with Sep2. His tasks will include spending some time in the business’s Security Operations Centre (SOC) lab – a simulated environment for cybersecurity training.
He said: “I’ll have the opportunity to gain experience with a lot of different software that they use, including the one used by Check Point, the company that provides secure firewalls.
“I’ll have the opportunity to configure and learn how to manage those firewalls and manage the infrastructure as a whole.
“They’re also giving me a chance to learn cybersecurity skills in their SOC lab, which is quite great as I’m really interested in this field.”
When it comes to recommending the T Level route to others, Pancham has no doubts about doing so.
He said: “I think it’s better than doing A levels because a T Level qualification provides you with the equivalent of three A levels anyway, so you still have the opportunity to go on to university if you want to. But it also provides you with a work placement in the industry you want to go into, which is so useful.
“A placement gives you hands-on experience so you get to learn how they actually work within the industry, rather than just having theory-based knowledge.
“And through the placement you may also have an option to get an apprenticeship with the company, or they might just straight-up hire you.”
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Providing adults with volunteering opportunities that teach valuable employability skills is one of the ways we’re readying people for the workplace.
Since January 2023, a group of our Adult & Community learners have been volunteering at Oxfam’s national sorting centre on a monthly basis, where items are sorted for resale and recycling.
The Northern Logistics Centre, which is situated in Batley and home to both the charity’s Festival Shop and Online Shop teams, handles 12,000 tonnes of textiles every year from donations to Oxfam, making it a truly hands-on operation.
Capitalising on the charity’s need for adults who can generously donate their time during the day, each month between eight and 12 of our adult learners volunteer at Oxfam to sort through, process and price donated stock, receiving a free lunch and reimbursed travel costs in return.
Supported by Oxfam members of staff, the placements allow the students to connect with like-minded people and gain valuable employability skills, such as teamwork, communication, organisation and flexibility. Those who have helped with listing items online have also improved their digital skills.
These experiences have benefited a range of learners, including those with varied levels of English language skills and those with no previous work experience.
Our partnership with Oxfam has proven particularly helpful for adult learners who are new to the country or haven’t worked in the UK before, providing them with opportunities to learn transferable skills in a busy retail environment.
The hands-on nature of the Oxfam volunteering placement has made it a popular hit over the last 18 months, with many students choosing to re-volunteer.
Although each placement typically lasts half a day, students are provided with a varied experience, touring the warehouse whilst learning about the wider business operation, which includes Oxfam’s upcycling, sustainability and ecommerce teams.
Tasks range from deciding where clothes should go next to labelling items for one of Oxfam’s 500 shops, with these being just some of the ways students have helped.
Speaking about the scheme, one student said: “It was a wonderful day and a good volunteering experience. I am grateful to Leeds City College and all the Oxfam warehouse staff for this wonderful opportunity. I am glad to get to know you better and the whole wonderful friendly team.”
Understanding what a career in digital looks like is one thing, but experiencing it is another.
Sometimes, you need to be connected to the people who can share their journeys, answer your questions and advise you on the steps to take.
This was the case for 11 T Level students at Leeds City College who attended a three-day careers masterclass hosted by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) Digital earlier this year.
Aimed at introducing the learners to real-world work environments, the trip offered a rare opportunity to explore jobs at DWP, develop industry-specific skills and network with professionals.
Now, as five students begin work placements at DWP Digital, we take a look back to what they got up to.
The masterclass kicked off with a deep dive into the wide range of digital career roles, providing invaluable insights into different available pathways.
Our students, who study various T Levels in Digital & IT, were introduced to a range of professions, including content design, development operations and digital marketing, and were able to explore what makes each specialism so unique.
Afterwards, industry professionals shared their own career journeys, discussing their roles and how they got to where they are today.
These discussions provided our students with a first-hand look at careers in digital infrastructure and digital communication, helping them to identify and narrow down any careers they would potentially like to pursue.
To broaden their understanding of different specialisms whilst providing a taste of life at DWP, our students were allocated a job specialism and a brief from a client – then tasked with fulfilling it.
The activity required them to work collaboratively, applying design-thinking, problem-solving and interpersonal skills to come up with an innovative solution.
By presenting their solutions back to a panel, our students not only experienced a glimpse of the ideation aspect of project planning, but gained an example of good client management to draw from in future employment.
The final day focused on preparing students for the next steps in their careers. All 11 students participated in mock interviews tailored to the roles they aim to pursue in the future.
This provided them with crucial feedback and an opportunity to practise presenting themselves confidently in professional settings, helping to refine their communication skills.
The event concluded with the exciting news that five of the participating students will be starting separate data analytics and digital engagement work placements at DWP Digital in October, allowing them to further hone their skills, gain hands-on experience and build professional connections within the industry.
Events like these play a crucial role in equipping students with practical experience, whilst helping them transition smoothly from education to the workforce.
We’re incredibly proud of our students and excited to see what the future holds for them as they continue their journey in the digital industry.
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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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