Edward Macmillan (25) started his BA Hons – Heritage and Tourism at Forth Valley College and he has now progressed to become a prize winning student at the University of Stirling.
Originally from Leeds in England, Edward, who now lives in Stirling, was recently announced as the winner of two prizes for his efforts.
He said: “Winning two prizes for my Heritage Portfolio was a very welcome surprise! I wasn't expecting to see it perform so well by achieving a 1st, so to discover that it had also won me both the Stirling University's Research Based Learning Prize for Best Dissertation in Heritage, in addition to the Stirling Guildry Prize for the best History Dissertation/Heritage Portfolio, was absolutely wonderful to hear, and to see that all of my hard work had paid off.”
Edward revealed that a stint where he enjoyed a voluntary work placement experience at Elgin Museum, encouraged him to apply for the FVC partnership degree course in Heritage and Tourism. Once he was accepted he began an adventurous journey onto his chosen career path.
He said: After enjoying my voluntary experience at Elgin Museum, I wanted to develop in that field further. Heritage and Tourism was offered as a course at Elgin, but I opted to choose Forth Valley College given the reputation of Stirling as a wonderful city to live, and a desire to explore more of Scotland. It’s a decision that I’m really glad I made.
“The College was absolutely fantastic. The range of facilities available, the staff who are more than willing to help support your development, and the lecturers I had were wonderful to learn from.
“The experience has helped me to better refine my skill set for future careers. Independent studying has been a skill I struggled with, but thanks to the support from both lecturers and library staff, it has become much easier which, in turn, helped me to perform exceptionally well in third and fourth year.
“Having enjoyed the digital aspects of tourism - such as social media promotion - I am now pursuing a MSc in Marketing at Stirling University, in the hope of becoming a Heritage/Museum Marketing Officer.
“For Heritage and Tourism, the lecturers possess a wide range of knowledge for many different fields. Whether it’s digital skills, culinary heritage, or for learning about the different facets of Scotland’s tourism industry, there’s a great range of modules you can expect, helping provide the groundwork for a potential career.
“The best bit for me has been the chance to not only learn within classes, but also on trips. Learning about the different attractions outside of town - such as the Kelpies and Blair Drummond Safari Park - helped to make my experience at Forth Valley College all the more enjoyable.
“Studying at Forth Valley College has not only been an enjoyable experience in terms of academic studies – it’s also been a wonderful experience meeting new people both from Scotland and other countries. I’ve met friends for life here and I’d highly recommend it for anyone taking their first steps into further education.
“My Forth Valley College experience has been nothing short of an adventure. Being able to explore Stirling, learning amazing skills for future careers, and meeting wonderful people - both students and lecturers - has been amazing… I’m very grateful that I took the leap of faith with Forth Valley College!”
Paul Cunningham Curriculum Manager in FVC’s Department of Creative, Digital and Leisure Industries, said: “Edward’s example demonstrates the positive pathways that can be created from FVC’s integrated degree programmes with the University of Stirling. Edward’s journey and achievements demonstrate the high standards of learning and teaching that exists at both Forth Valley College and the university. A huge congratulations to Edward from all the Travel and Tourism team, he is an excellent example of hard work and determination, resulting in great personal success.”