After thriving on the Level 3 Public Services course, William Leavesley decided to stay at Chesterfield College and carry on to the Level 4 HNC in Public Services. We caught up with him to hear about the benefits of studying a Higher Education course at college and why Public Services is a great industry to get into.
Why did you decide to apply for this course?
I previously did the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Public Services. It was a really enjoyable course, covering a broad range of subjects and because I had such a great experience on the Level 3, I chose to carry on to the Level 4. The Level 4 is a bit more specialised and focused. There are still a lot of different topics covered but you study things in a lot more depth than you did at Level 3, so you get a better understanding of the subject area.
How did you find the transition from Level 3 to Level 4?
It was a fairly smooth transition because throughout the two years in Level 3 out tutors had been constantly pushing and telling us how to improve our work. Whilst we weren’t yet at Level 4 standard at the end of Level 3, we were at a very high standard, so it felt fairly easy to make the changes needed for Level 4 work.
Why did you chose to stay at Chesterfield College to do your Level 4, instead of choosing the more traditional university route?
One of the things I love is that you have smaller class sizes – there’s about 12 people in the class and that means that the tutor knows you personally. Rather than being in a university, where there might be hundreds of students in a lecture hall, you know everyone around you, and you can speak to your teacher regularly. Another thing people often forget is that it’s also cheaper than university.
Being close to home has also been a huge benefit for me. It’s meant that I can continue as I am and come in like I did previously. I’ve not needed to relocate or commute far each day, or go through the process of finding alternative accommodation.
I think a real benefit of the course here is that you’re not just surrounded by people your own age. There are people a bit older on the course and they’ve got different life experiences and perspectives, it’s quite nice to have a mix of different people. It really feels like an adult environment and you know everyone around you is taking the course seriously.
What is you long term career plan?
I’m currently looking at either going into the Fire Service, or doing the Level 5 qualification and maybe the Level 6. Getting into the Fire Service can be a very long and competitive process, so I felt I might as well continue my education instead of sitting around and waiting to get in to the Fire Service for two or three years. It also means I’ve got a good back up option for getting into another service, if I wanted.
Why Public Services?
All the careers within Public Services are very rewarding. There’s good pay, good support and plenty of chance for developing your skills. One thing people tend to not realise, is that there’s a broad range of subjects. I think when people hear Public Services, they think it just covers the Fire Service, Police and Armed Services, but we also cover things like the Prison Service, Youth Justice, even things like MI5 and MI6.