Best Business Student Award

In the week even high achievers struggled to secure university places, we were delighted to be able to give Peterborough Regional College student Chris Burling that extra something to set himself apart.

Chris was the winner of the Best Business Student award at Peterborough Regional College – an award we have sponsored for the last two years.

According to his tutors when Chris started his BTec course ‘he had very little self-confidence’. But they said ‘he applied himself well to his studies… is well motivated and has achieved excellent attendance’. They also said his ‘self confidence has grown…. And he has given verbal presentations and led groups which have helped him to develop’.

He was unable to attend the official presentation evening because he was working – he’s a part time swimming instructor at the pool near his home in Godmanchester.

That’s a demonstration of Chris’ work ethic which also resulted in a string of distinctions and merits throughout his course.

He was a charming young man, very polite. He’s now looking for some more part time work to gain some practical work place experience before going to Northampton University next year to study accountancy and finance.

He wasn’t the most academic student, or the most confident but he applied himself and, as a result, was chosen to receive the award, a valuable addition to his CV.

There’s a lesson in there for teenagers who are starting to despair about their chances of gaining a solid grounding from which to launch a future career. Academia is important but demonstrating a good work ethic and developing as a person is just as vital.