Zee Morris, who lives in Bristol, is currently enjoying a successful career in finance. While it has been almost ten years since she left City College, she says the skills she learnt while studying for a Level 3 Diploma in Business have helped her throughout her career.
Having found sixth form too similar to school, Zee felt drawn to a more grown-up environment. She said: “I enjoyed the atmosphere of City College. The staff treated us like adults and we were able to make our own choices. I also chose the College because the business, admin and finance course sounded really interesting and would give me so much practical experience.”
After leaving City College Plymouth, Zee gained an internship at the University of Exeter Students Guild, which put some practical experience on her CV. After completing the internship, Zee moved to Bristol for work.
She said: “Getting my first foot on the working ladder was helped by the diploma. It showed I had practical skills as well as good academic ability.
“I did a variety of different administration jobs for a few years. In 2013, I started my journey in accounting and finance; this journey was aided by the accounting module I did as part of the diploma, which provided a good grounding to start my studies.”
Since then, Zee has worked in a number of different finance roles, but has recently moved to the commercial side of the profession. Zee added: “My current role involves working with various areas of a business to understand its overall plan and to provide challenges to these plans to test their effectiveness. Where potential problems are identified, I put steps in place to help the business get back on track.”
Zee also praised the caring and supportive staff at the College. She said: “The staff were absolutely amazing. I lost my mother while still studying at the College, and I had to move to Exeter and live independently. The staff were so understanding of this and helped and supported me through that difficult time.
“But the very best thing about City College was all of the practical experience I gained. Part of the course involved setting up and running a business. This included writing business plans, doing market research and accounting. I also liked how a lot of the diploma was assessed through coursework: exams have never been my strong point as I get very nervous, so being able to concentrate on a piece of work without the pressure of exam conditions was great.”
