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Testimonials

Paulo Nicodemi, BTEC National Diploma in Fashion and Clothing

Paulo has made it to the top of his field, working with revered Savile Row tailors Anderson and Sheppard and scooping the Silver Shears tailoring award from the Merchant Taylors' Company. The award recognises the outstanding contribution that tailors make to the fashion industry.

Paulo said: "Without the help and support I received from the tutors at the College, there's no way I would have got to where I am today. I wasn't amazing academically and it was the College that picked up that I was dyslexic. They gave me more help and support than anyone else and I genuinely feel they kick-started my career.

"I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the fashion course at City of Bath College. The course was excellent and helped me to develop real skills that I could take on with me into work. The tutors treated you like adults; they allowed you to get on with your work but were on hand if you needed them.

"The skills I learnt at City of Bath College have seen me through everything and I can't speak highly enough about the College and the time I spent there."

Leah Wynes, NVQ Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship (Catering and Hospitality)

Leah, who now works as a Chef at The Ritz hotel in London - one of the world's most exclusive hotels - said: "I learnt a lot of important skills at College, things I still use to this day. My tutor, Tony Marsh, was wonderful. He taught me so much and was so supportive - he's the best teacher I've ever had. I would definitely recommend the College as a good place to learn if you want a career in catering."

Alicia Hill, Travel and Tourism National Diploma

Alicia, who secured a job as cabin crew with Easyjet at the end of her course, praised the mock-up aircraft cabin that the College has had installed at its city centre campus. She said: "The facilities are excellent and make it a much more fun and realistic environment to train in. I also had great support and encouragement from the lecturers, particularly Yvonne Coleman who spent a five-month secondment with Easyjet cabin crew and really encouraged me to go for the job."

Jemma Daniels, BTEC National Diploma in Design Crafts

Jemma is now an award-winning silversmith. As well as exhibiting at a range of major, high-profile exhibitions at venues including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Goldsmiths Hall and currently Fortnum and Mason, Jemma has won a host of top design awards, including many from the long established and highly regarded Goldsmiths' Craft and Design Council.

Currently Artist in Residence at Birmingham School of Jewellery, Jemma said her decision to pursue a design craft qualification at City of Bath College was the all important stepping stone for her career. "The course introduced me to a wealth of craft skills that continue to underpin my practice. The range of creative processes that we were exposed to, such as photography, printmaking and life drawing, coupled with the encouragement to experiment gave me the tools and confidence to be able to communicate and express my ideas.

"I realised when I got to university how lucky I had been to attend such a good course as the majority of the other students had not gained the depth or breadth of knowledge that I had. The main highlight of the course to me was the tutors; their huge amount of knowledge was delivered with such passion and dedication that you could not help but be inspired."

Tobias Mead, Performing Arts

Tobias was the runner-up in the 2010 Britain's Got Talent competition. He has been dancing professionally for almost two years now and, as well as performing with some of the UK's top pop acts, including Lilly Allen and Robbie Williams, has also appeared in Dirty Dancing - The Time of Your Life, the Royal Variety Performance 2008, Brit Awards 2009 and 2010 and Take That's The Circus tour.

Tobias said: "City of Bath College was the start of my life as a dancer. It was a great two years of learning new things each day, things that I still use and live by to this day. It built up my confidence and allowed me to be me. I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for the skills and support I received at the College."

Jillian Evans, BTEC National Diploma in Children's Care, Learning and Development

Jillian enroled at City of Bath College as a mature student and found work as a nursery nurse as soon as she finished her course.

She said: "I really enjoyed my time at the College and the course was brilliant. It certainly wasn't easy and it was a lot of hard work from start to finish, but it was always made very enjoyable by the teachers. I was amazed at how much of a wide area the course covered and really enjoyed working in different placements.

"All of the teachers were amazing. They always strived to get the best out of our lessons and made them fun and exciting. They helped me tremendously in reaching my personal goal of gaining a distinction."

Dan Hacking, BTEC in Travel and Tourism

After leaving College, Dan travelled around much of the world, particularly South America where he worked with street children. He became a fluent Spanish speaker and completed a Masters in Linguistics at Glasgow University.

Dan said: "The course was really good for me. It sparked a real interest for my love of languages - as well as Spanish, I've also studied Portuguese and French. The Travel and Tourism course at the College gave me a new insight to education and without it I may never have been introduced to Spanish, travelled to Latin America or studied for a Linguistics degree in Glasgow."

Roger Tait, Stonemasonry and Access to Higher Education

Roger now works as a researcher in Cambridge University's department of Experimental Psychology. He said: "I found both the Access and Stonemasonry courses to be very helpful in building confidence in skills which I did not have, as well as skills I already possessed.

"English has always been particularly challenging for me and the Access tutors spent time with me to help me overcome my fears. Also, on the Access course I found my fellow students to be particularly supportive of each other both inside and outside the College. The level of teaching on both the Access and Stonemasonry courses was outstanding."

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