The progression from college is often daunting, whether you’re interested in university, an apprenticeship, or going straight into work, the best way to decide is to be fully informed of every option. That’s why the Art and Design Careers Excellence Hub (CEH) organised a Fashion and Textiles lecturer from the University of the West of England (UWE) to discuss the available courses to some of our Art and Design students. 

The Fashion and Textiles guest lecturer from UWE, Tracy Fitzgerald, discussed everything from the variety of modules each year, to the different work placement opportunities and career pathways available.  

According to Tracy, there are three main areas of a Fashion and Textiles course at UWE: Fashion design, Textile design, and Fashion Textile futures. These three areas provide a range of different opportunities, roles and pathways for students. To get an idea of each of these areas, Tracy provided our students with portfolios from previous years that they could browse in order to experience the kinds of projects they’d get the chance to complete on the course. 

During this guest lecture, Tracy thoroughly outlined each year of the courses so the learners were well informed of what a university course may entail. This included explaining project briefs, the amazing employers that students have previously worked with on placement, the opportunities to study abroad, as well as outlining how the course is delivered by breaking down each year. 

A Fashion course at UWE not only develops a student's knowledge and skills in fashion, but it also allows them to develop more transferrable skills which can be useful in upskilling any role. This includes getting the chance to use different software such as CAD Design, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and more! 

The learners also learnt a bit about the exams and coursework, the hours they’d spend on campus, and the advanced workshops they would get the chance to partake in. This helped the learners gain a better understanding of how a university course is delivered and provides a better picture of whether this is the right route for them. 

Tracy also reassures the students by informing them that the base of the course is creativity. You are not expected to know everything before you begin, you’re simply expected to have ideas and be enthusiastic in what you are studying. 

Overall, the guest lecture from Tracy Fitzgerald proved to be very insightful and provided our students with a lot of information regarding what to expect from a university course so they can choose the right path for them once they progress after college. 

A big thank you to Tracy from UWE for taking the time to come in and give an amazing talk to our learners, it benefited them greatly.  

If you are interested in applying to one of our Art and Design courses in September, click here.