We speak to Reece about his time studying Access to Business at CRC

At CRC, we offer Access to Higher Education Diplomas – a one year course that helps students to develop the study skills and academic knowledge to progress onto a degree level course. People who typically join Access courses may have been out of education for a while or haven’t achieved the ‘right’ grades at A Level to study the course they wanted to. Around 40,000 people every year study on an Access course and there is no upper age limit. The courses are part-time and flexible, to fit in with work and childcare. 

Could you describe your path from secondary school to studying at CRC?

From secondary school – I had a pretty turbulent time in terms of my homelife at the time, so I found in school, I really struggled to attend and even when I found a school that was more suited to me, that routine of not attending carried over. I tried three years in a row to go to college and I feel like a big part of the challenge was not taking the subjects I actually wanted to do. So, when I was 19 I decided it kind of had to come to a point where either I work and earn a living and I can get by, or I don’t, and so I had to get into the routine and discipline of attending.

So, in those 10 years in between, I always had in the back of my mind that I wanted to go back to education, but I always felt conflicted about what path I wanted to choose. From working for so long I had confidence in my ability to interact with the public, but it was still a very daunting prospect – to assimilate myself back into an educational situation, especially with people maybe like 12 years younger than me, which took some getting used to. But I feel like the class I have has made it a lot easier for me, as well as the teachers. So, in that time, I was working full time pretty consistently and I always had this yearning to go to university. I’m approaching 30, and I thought if I’m going to turn 30 and not have a degree, at least I want a clear vision of where I’m going towards. And having been here since September, that’s very much helped me on that journey.

What led you to choosing to study an Access to Higher Education qualification?

One of my best friends went here and also studied Access to Business. She had a really good experience. She managed to go to university, get the degree in the subject she wanted, and then was able to ditch her Tesco job and go for the job that made her feel gratified. So seeing someone who was slightly older than me do that, I could see a direction, that very much gave me the encouragement to want to pursue that as well. I knew that a fashion buying or fashion business direction is what I wanted to go in. So Access to Business was the perfect way to bridge the gap between my own experience in retail and fashion and having a business background because last summer I did a short course in a fashion school in London, called the Fashion Retail Academy. They encouraged me to just go for clearing, but I figured I wanted to have more of an educational basis to go off once I get to level 4. I wanted an idea of business prior to starting and this was perfect for that.

Why did you choose to study at Cambridge Regional College?

It was a combination of my friend’s experience here, and the locality, which was also really useful for me because I know the area and I’m able to access college easily. And the subject that they provided here would help me get directly onto the subject I want to do in further education.

What course are you studying and how are you finding your time at CRC

It’s probably going to sound a bit corny but the word I use to myself is enlightening, on so many levels. I just wasn’t sure how I would be able to assimilate with people who don’t necessarily have the same interests as me, but it’s been so eye opening to learn from people from different parts of the world, being able to get validation from teachers, such as Ursula, who has been so encouraging to me, and acknowledging what makes me unique and appreciating that in the classroom. So, as well as the teachers, the class has been so lovely. Everyone has their own niche, and being able to learn from people with such specific skillsets has been enlightening too.

What are you hoping to do after you complete the Access course?

I intend to go to study fashion business in London. My firm choice is the Fashion Retailer Academy and from there my dream job would be to be a fashion buyer in an Asos or a TK Maxx, somewhere which has a wide variety of brands and price points they work with. Being able to influence what colours, textures, prints, patterns will go into a collection – that’s the goal.

Personally, what has the Access course meant to you?

It’s meant being able to show myself every day why I want to do this. It’s lovely having a place to go where I can dress up! Gaining confidence – I feel like for a long time you get set in a certain monotony where you’re in a job and you don’t want to do it, it’s safety and stability but it’s mind numbing. It’s not gratifying. And this gives me gratification that is not ephemeral. It’s just been the best experience, better than I could have imagined. I can come into college in a pink suit, and some of the students will respond in a generally positive way and it’s nice to have that repartee with completely different people. You can make fun of each other’s differences in a positive way. It’s extremely inclusive here, and the city of Cambridge is very diverse.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking of studying at CRC?

I would suggest, if you have a clear goal in mind and you know where you want to go after, just take the plunge. It will be challenging and there will be times where it seems like a lot of stress but if you have a clear goal in mind I feel like it’s worth it. There are so many more benefits than negatives that can come out of it. I would encourage somebody to take the jump.

Did you have any worries or concerns before you started the Access course?

As I mentioned earlier, I was concerned that it would be different to relate to people with different interests to me, different demographics, a different age group. But pretty much from the first week, we started getting to know each other, and we all seem to get along really well, so those social concerns were very much put to rest within that first week. Some of my other concerns were how am I going to manage working full time, having to pay my bills, and then studying full time as well? Fortunately, my manager was willing to compromise just enough so that I didn’t crash out every week which made it a lot easier to balance out the time. So, most of the concerns I had were put to rest pretty quickly.

Coming here has been one of the biggest privileges that I’ve been able to experience in an educational capacity. It’s the first time I feel like I’ve been able to come somewhere and just be judged somewhere on who I am, how I behave and the work I produce, and being able to thrive in that environment has been so gratifying.

Thank you to Reece for speaking to us about his experience of studying on the Access course. If you’d like to find out more information about Access to HE, click here.