Pictured is former Business student Ed Walker, whose business qualification at West Suffolk College has rocketed him to new heights.
A student from the School of Business Studies, Finance and Law at West Suffolk College has progressed onto a prestigious degree in banking and finance after studying a free qualification alongside his main business course.
Business student Ed Walker has progressed onto the prestigious London Institute of Banking and Finance (LIBF) degree. Ed completed his Business Level 3 course last academic year alongside studying a Diploma in Financial Studies.
Tutor Daniel Connor said: "This additional qualification is offered to Business students and teaches them important knowledge on personal finance. The additional qualification is provided free to students as this project is part-funded by the European Social Fund."
The LIBF qualification - Diploma in Financial Studies - is offered at West Suffolk College alongside the Business Level 3 course. Daniel explained that 'the additional qualification covers all aspects of personal finance, from how overdrafts to mortgages and the different types of savings and investments'. This helps students to be more financially literate and sustainable in their own lives and widens their horizons to financial occupations they might not have previously considered.
After completing his LIBF qualification and visiting the institution as a part of a College trip to London, where students had a guided walking tour of London’s Historic Financial District and career talks, Ed was offered a place at the prestigious banking and finance university.
Ed Walker said: "I completed the LIBF / CeFS qualification in my two years at West Suffolk College and after initially struggling in the first year and feeling out of my depth on my Level 3 course the extra qualification gave me a lot of confidence and deeper understanding when writing assignments or joining in with class discussions and after a few months I was able to use vocabulary and different theories we had learnt on the course in my level 3 assignments and it allowed me to feel a lot more confident going into my second year.
"As well as this I was able to use the extra UCAS points when applying to university which gave me the extra edge to be able to apply to the universities of my choice. Without the extra points or understanding I could have struggled to have got into university. The courses content, style of teaching and support from the course lecturer (Daniel Connor) is a good way to get a much broader business understanding and looks very impressive on professional CVs after leaving education. I am now in my first semester at London Institute of Banking and Finance, studying financial investment and risk and I still use things I was taught in my LIBF/CeFS classes daily."
Tutor Daniel Connor added: "I am really pleased for Ed and that the LIBF qualification has enabled him to progress into a career he has discovered a passion for."
Part funded by the European Social Fund
