NC Applied Science Level 5 student, Andrew Thomson originally left school back in 2018 to start a course in Construction Project Management as he enjoyed design and manufacturing in school and followed this through to college in Glasgow. However he quickly found out it wasn’t for him and moved into full time employment. The 21 year old from Greenock was keen to return to education and pursue a career in healthcare.
As he did not take science subjects in school, a career in healthcare would be difficult to access. He identified the NC Applied Science Course within the West College Scotland Greenock Campus would gain him access to his chosen career because this particular course offered the opportunity to cover a wide range of topics
“Anatomy interested me the most when I applied as it is the subject I am keen to learn more about. However, being able to study anatomy, chemistry and biology all at the same time was what drew me towards it.”
Speaking highly of his College experience at our Greenock campus, Andrew said, “The lecturers are honestly brilliant. Very approachable, and they recognise that there are people coming from different stages in life, so they cater their lessons towards that.”
Andrew enjoyed learning in the science lab facilities saying that the equipment was great for the practical element of the course and he also highlighted the additional support and resources on offer to study outside the classroom such as contact with staff through email and teams, the high quality course learning materials that support independent learning, and detailed online Moodle support.
With hopes to progress within West College Scotland and on to university, Andrew is confident that he made the right decision to return to College, “I’ve come to college having been in work full time for 4 years. I’m hoping to progress my studies to open more doors in my work life and West College was 100% the place to start. Anyone in a similar situation to me should definitely consider it. I reckon I’d have regretted it if I’d waited another year but I went for it and it’s going brilliantly so far.”
Andrew would love to pursue a career as a paramedic when he completes his studies,
“For multiple reasons I’ve become extremely passionate about the chance to work in healthcare. It’s likely I’ll be spending a couple years in college and then hopefully following that route in some way at university.”
We are excited to see where Andrew’s career takes him!
To follow in his footsteps check out the NC Applied Science Level 5 with Biology & Chemistry open now for application.