Studying for a HND in Business propelled Karolina Kacmar to university and then on to a career in logistics.
Karolina (31) from Bo’ness chose to apply to Forth Valley College based on reviews and the variety of courses offered and made very good use of them.
She said: “My journey there started in 2015, after I decided to improve my English. I attended ESOL evening classes for year and after successfully completing the course, I started NQ Business and Administration course, and completed ESOL level 5.
“On top of this, I completed courses in Maths, IT and English Level 6 and ECDL level 1. These extra courses, coupled with continued lecturer support and encouragement, enabled me to move straight to HND Business, which I completed successfully in 2019. I have also achieved ECDL level 2.
“All the lecturers are professionals, with a great knowledge of their subjects and understanding of constantly changing business environment. The culture is based on respect, support and encouragement.
“I have gained a good knowledge of different aspects of business, such as marketing, law, accounting and human resource management at the college and the variety of subjects also helped me to decide what career I wanted to pursue. Moreover, the HND Business and additional qualifications (ESOL and ECDL) helped me to gain a competitive advantage in jobs market.
“I started my HND course in 2017. In October that year, I found out I was pregnant with my second little boy. The encouragement and support from Ann McGregor and all lecturers were absolutely amazing. I also have been given the opportunity to do my assessments slightly early to help me. My son Daniel was born in July in 2018 and I came back to finish my second year of HND when my son was only seven weeks old. Needless to say, it made my studies even more challenging, but I successfully completed the course and my graded unit achieved an A.
“The HND Business qualification has opened the doors for me to university and the lecturers’ continuous support, constructive feedback and guidance for improvement, got me ready for jumping straight to the third year Business Management studies at Edinburgh Napier University. I am graduating from the university next month with a BA Honors in Business Management and I have chosen to pursue a career in logistics and I am working as Life Science Logistics Coordinator at Biocair.
“Further and higher education opens the doors for new opportunities, widens your horizons and gives you the knowledge and experience required to be successful in your
career. A wide variety of subjects gives an opportunity to gain broad understanding of business and its operations.
“The best bit for me at Forth Valley College was the wide range of subjects covered in the HND Business course, the opportunity to gain extra qualifications and the support from knowledgeable and encouraging lecturers.
“Higher education helps you to grow on personal and professional levels, offers better career opportunities, helps you to gain a competitive advantage in the work market and build networks. Moreover, during your time in college you will gain valuable employability skills.
“Forth Valley College is for everyone who is ready to make changes in their lives and work hard to achieve their goals. Do not let your age, nationality or other circumstances stop you from working towards your dream.
Summing up her experience at Forth Valley College in three word, Karolina, said: “Challenging, rewarding, mind-opening.”