James kick-starts his future!

Former Burton and South Derbyshire College (BSDC) student, James Allsopp has transformed his career prospects through a Kick-start course and has now gone on to become a Junior Mechanical Engineer at Parker Technical Services.

When James left school, he had only achieved one qualification and was unsure of his next steps. After dropping out of a course at another college, James came to Burton and South Derbyshire College to embark on a Kick-start course, a programme designed for those who, for whatever reason, missed out on the grades they needed at school.

During the course, James developed his skills for progression to further study, as well as retaking and improving on his GCSE Maths and English grades. He then achieved a Level 3 Business course at the College before getting taken on as a Junior Mechanical Engineer at Parker Technical Services, where he is undertaking an apprenticeship alongside working on-site.

The Kick-start programme at BSDC is designed to help young people who did not achieve the grades they needed at school to develop their employability skills for progression to an apprenticeship, traineeship or a further education course. During the course, students develop entrepreneurial skills through setting up their own business, along with networking skills by setting up and attending a large interview event with employers across the Midlands area. Students also get the opportunity to undertake work placements and re-sit their Maths and English GCSEs. 

James Allsopp commented: “The Kick-start course helped me get back on track. It shows that having somebody believe in you and with a bit of self-belief, you can achieve your goals. I am enjoying the apprenticeship with Parker Technical Services. I enjoy the level of responsibility I’ve had early on and it’s interesting seeing the things I have learnt about in real life. I would eventually like to progress to senior project manager in construction and building services; that’s my end goal. 

“My advice to anyone leaving school without the qualifications they need is don’t think you are going to be a failure. I failed most of my exams at school but I have turned it around. It’s what you do next which is the important thing.”