Health, Social Care & Childcare

Take the first steps to a rewarding career

My name is Olivia Heath, I am 18 years old, I studied Level 3 Early Years and Childcare Education at South Essex Colleges Group (SECG) and this is my story.

Before coming to the college to study, I had just finished my GCSE's in school and had to find a different approach in order to get to the career I wanted. I chose to study at SEGC as it was easy to travel to and close to home. It also gave me an easier approach into teaching.

The best thing about doing further education is that you have more independence, get treated more as a grown up compared to school and it allows you to view things differently and have a vision for your career path.

I have gained a lot of valuable skills that I can now take with me into primary schools on my journey to becoming a primary school teacher such as identifying how children develop. As I have had the opportunity to do this already, I am able to view this from a different perspective.

My studies helped me prepare for the workplace through doing work experience in both a nursery and primary school to see which I preferred and to see the differences between the two.

My time at SECG boosted my confidence a lot as we had to do a few presentations in front of the class and meet new people at placements and help them to look after around 30 children twice a week. The tutors at college also helped me to overcome a lot of fears I had, as well as struggles outside of college.

My favourite memory of being at college has to be all the fun we had during our lessons because if your lessons aren't fun as well as serious it can feel very draining and it can make you unmotivated. But on top of that I remember all the stories we would all share while we were in placements and comparing them with each other. 

I would recommend SECG because the opportunities you have to take you on the right path are brilliant. The staff are all so supportive and they are always there if you need someone to talk to. The careers advisors are so helpful especially if you are looking to go to university and the wellbeing team provide you with excellent support and they always check in on you to see how you are doing. My greatest achievement so far has got to be getting into university and pursuing my dream to become a teacher as I didn't think I would be able to at the start of college. 

My ambitions for the future are to finish my course at university and become a teacher. I would also love to use my career to teach in different countries around the world and also across different part of the UK and see what it is like teaching in different places. 
 

My name is Leah Horton, I am 21 years old, I studied Early Years Education at University Centre South Essex from 2020 until 2023 and this is my story.

Before starting at UCSE, I had just dropped out of Winchester University after a short period of time, as I felt homesick and was unsure of the course. I was then accepted into UCSE at the very last minute and have been grateful for having this opportunity. I chose to study at South Essex College as I was able to commute from home. When looking at the course, it was suited to the career I originally wanted to do, whilst also having brilliant reviews. 

My time at UCSE prepared me for the workplace as it made me understand that to achieve and succeed in life, you have to work hard for it. The best thing about doing higher education is the rewarding feeling you get once you have completed everything at the best standard you possibly could have. I have gained lots of confidence during my time at the university, whilst also gaining organisation skills, both in which I will use in the workplace. 

My favourite memory of being at the university is when my friends and I would walk down to the beach at lunchtime and eat the donuts! After finishing my degree, I applied for many jobs, and participated in online courses to ensure I got a job in the industry I wished to work in. I have been lucky enough to have been given a job in a Lloyd’s Syndicate in the City, at my dream company, Munich Re.

My official title will be a Claims Delegated Authority Assistant, where I will be assisting the claims team in various tasks including the day-to-day admin. I have had no experience in this industry, however, I was proactive in searching for jobs and completing free courses to gain a better understanding of the industry. 

My tutor at UCSE, Maria helped me to achieve the grades I have achieved in all of my assignments, whilst also helping me to understand what it was that I actually wanted to do as a career, and for that, I couldn’t recommend UCSE enough. Maria helped me grow as a person and gain lots of confidence. My time at the university helped me gain confidence and persistence. With my greatest achievement being achieving a 2:1 in my dissertation. 
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n the future, I hope to progress through insurance and to gain my CII certification.
 

Health & Social Care Student of the Year, George Humphries has strived to remove barriers to learning and has worked towards achieving high standards despite finding assignments difficult.

George says he feels great about winning the award and that he chose to study at South Essex College because he had a choice of many different courses.

He said: “I like learning new things in my course and my greatest achievements have been starting the course and meeting new friends who I did not know before.”

His tutor said: “George is a kind and caring student, who also shows concern for his fellow peers and also tries to help with class activities and offering advice. George has overcome any barriers that have been thrown at him and has constantly succeeded in anything he does. He is an inspiration to us all and I cannot wait for him to succeed in the health and social care profession. 

George said he would recommend South Essex College because it is a good college to go to and you get to make friends and learn about the different courses.

He added: “My ambition when I finish my course is to stay on for another year of college and then to either get an apprenticeship, or to be able to work in a hospital as a porter or work in a school.”

His tutor said: “Overall George has made outstanding progress and I wish him every success for the future. Well done George!”