Emma Ashley: From Brooklands to a Blue-lit Career

Course Studied:
Extended Diploma in Uniformed Public Services – Level 3 (2014)
Higher National Diploma (HND) in Public Services Management (2015-2016)

Progression:
Plymouth University – Public Services and Public Sector Management, Business Management, First Class Honours (2016-2017)

Life After College follows the progress of our former students, telling the untold stories and taking a trip back down memory lane, reflecting on their journey from studying at Brooklands College to university or landing a dream job. 23-year-old Emma Ashley studied at Brooklands College over the course of three years, completing her Extended Level 3 Diploma in Uniformed Public Services before going onto study at HND level.

Emma, now 23, prioritised her own development and ambitions when joining Brooklands College from another local college in 2014 yet was still unsure, at this stage, when it came to deciding what career path she wished to take.

She recalled her decision to choose Brooklands, weighing up the fact that she was not quite ready to make the jump into the sometimes daunting world of work: “I wasn’t ready to go into work but equally I didn’t know what career I wanted. I had heard amazing reviews about the Public Services course at Brooklands College and how enjoyable it was – it certainly didn’t fail to disappoint!”

Supportive Lecturers

The message from our former students has been very clear, highlighting the fact that lecturers go above and beyond the call of duty to inform, support and advise. This is testament to the wealth of experience and investment of time by staff from across the College to go the extra mile, passing their knowledge and experience on to the next generation of forensic investigators, bricklayers and police officers.

“I am very thankful for the hard work of my lecturers for supporting and guiding me as a teenager who had no idea about her career direction to now being a young professional with an already established career.”

She added: “The lecturers go above and beyond to support you and always consider the different ways in which individuals learn. The lecturers couldn’t have done anything more for me other than write my application to university! They are very knowledgable and happy to assist in supporting and giving advice in any decisions you make. Even now, my lecturers from Brooklands still give me advice over LinkedIn!”

Progression

Emma completed her Level 3 Extended Diploma in Public Services in one year before progressing onto study at Higher National Diploma (HND) level.

“When I left Brooklands in 2016, I started studying at Plymouth University to top-up my HND in Policing to a full degree, achieving a First Class Honours. Once graduated, I went on to be a Learning and Development Assistant at Surrey Police and was soon enough promoted to Diversity Advisor, partly thanks to my knowledge from previous studies and qualifications.”