L5 FdA Culinary Arts student Kian Marshall is in the second year of his course at Newcastle College University Centre. He chose to ‘step up’ to a degree after enjoying his experience at Newcastle College. Here’s Kian’s story…

“I already knew the lecturers, so I knew they taught in a more practical, hands-on style which is more in line with how I like to learn. The degree at the University Centre wasn’t all coursework either since it was an equal balance of theory and practical learning.

“The course felt quite free to me, compared to similar courses at other universities. I felt we could have our own opinions throughout the degree in terms of what we wanted to cook, but all within a firm learning structure. The lecturers are very open-minded, and always asked what we wanted to learn about or try to cook. At other times, we’d come into a practical class with a trolley of unknown ingredients which we’d have to use to cook a dish, which was a pretty exciting challenge.

“Continuing to study as Newcastle College University Centre has helped me to get an experience, or at least a plan, for my future, since our degrees are structured to slowly enter us into the working world through industry contacts. We’re offered pretty unique personal and professional development modules that help us to build entrepreneurial skills, business management, and other vital skills for the working world.

“Personally, I love how free we can be on this degree. While we do get taught about different concepts in our teaching modules, we have the chance to do research for ourselves, and the practical skills can be tailored to suit our interests and preferences. We’ve also got the freedom with our tutors to choose the dishes we’d like to make, or the skills we’d like to improve upon. On the degree course, the University Centre brings in industry-experienced speakers to give targeted talks for pretty much every module. They provide really honest insights about their experiences, and so they can tell us what to do or what not to do and guide us in taking the best steps for our careers.

“For me, the training and support I’ve received at Newcastle College University Centre has helped teach me to never hold myself back from going for my goals.

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