Zoe Jackson (29) from Denny, has praised Forth Valley College’s HNC Working with Communities course and says it gave her “stability and a sense of purpose”.
Initially Zoe was encouraged by a lecturer from the outreach program ‘Go forth’ to go on to a new start course at Forth Valley in Falkirk and from there she eventually progressed to the NC and then the HNC Working with Communities course.
She said: “For me it has benefited me by growing my confidence. When I started on the ‘GoForth’ course I had very little confidence and had no direction in life, this has helped me find a path and even just some stability.
“There are plenty of facilities you can use at the College, they have a gym that you can go to for a small fee, the canteen is good and you can get a free lunch of soup and a roll if you want. The lecturers are great always there to help, you just have to message them or catch them in person, and they are very understanding and will be happy to talk to you if you are struggling.
“The College has helped move onto the next step in my career. I will be continuing my volunteering at the placement I had this year at Recovery Scotland, and there are some jobs coming up that I will apply for. I may also consider university in the future too, but I have been at College for three years and I would like a change.
“I would recommend the course and the College because you will meet new people, have a good time and learn something new. It gives you stability and a sense of purpose, well it did for me.
“One of the best bits for me was meeting new people and growing my confidence back. If you're struggling on what you want to do in life, going to College may help you find your path. If you’re someone who is just lacking confidence and direction, then college will help you get stability and a sense of purpose.
“Another great experience was when I was on the NC working with communities' course, we were involved in a group event to produce Christmas hampers. We made 15 to 20 and raised £300 to donate to Recovery Scotland. The overall experience was so much fun and was great to give back to a place that helped me out so much. We then got nominated for a student enterprise award and even though we didn’t win, the awards ceremony night was great, socializing with lovely people.”