When Jacob signed up for the art and design course at Stockton Riverside College, he wasn’t sure of the direction it would take him.
Always enjoying drawing and painting, he knew he wanted to follow a creative route, but it wasn’t until he started studying at the college that he uncovered an unexpected love for fashion design.
Just two years later the 19-year-old is following his passion, off to study fashion at a world-renowned arts college in London.
“I can’t believe it,” said the up-and-coming young designer from Fairfield, Stockton. “For anyone wanting to work in fashion, living and studying in London is the ultimate ambition.”
With so much competition out there for places, he said: “I felt both relieved and shocked to get my offer.”
Jacob is one of the many students who left the college this summer with ambitious plans on the horizon.
That’s the ultimate aim for all the students that pass through the doors at Stockton Riverside College – and indeed all the colleges that make up the Education Training Collective – to build learners’ aspirations and ambitions in their chosen field and equip them with the skills to make those plans a reality.
At Stockton Riverside College, the creative arts is just one of the pathways in which students thrive.
Like every subject, whether its health and social care, bricklaying, joinery, computing, business or performing arts, lessons are delivered in ways that closely replicate the demands of the work environment.
Speaking at the college’s annual art exhibition, art and design course leader, Liz Dixon, said: “People don’t always appreciate the breadth of opportunity in the arts. When in fact, from the moment we wake up, everything around us has been designed.”
The art and design courses encourage students to explore a variety of disciplines, and in doing so open their eyes to the opportunities.
At the college, creative students across multiple subject areas are encouraged to regularly work together as part of its Academy for Performing and Technical Arts (APTA), to give an all-round understanding of the creative industries and how different roles work together.
It was through trying different things that Jacob discovered his flair for fashion.
Now heading to Central Saint Martins, one of London’s leading art colleges, he can’t wait to get started.
He has done his research and spent hours watching YouTube videos showcasing the work of other students studying fashion at the college in London, so he has a good idea what to expect from his first year.
And he says the support and inspiration he received from his tutors at Stockton Riverside College have prepared him for what’s to come.
“The tutors have been so supportive and no matter how big your ideas it feels like nothing is ever too much for them,” said Jacob.
This has given him the freedom and encouragement to think big, and thinking big has bagged him a sought-after place in London.
“I always knew I wanted to study in London,” he said. “And, a place at the likes of Central Saint Martins, that is the dream.”
Stockton Riverside College is enrolling now.
To find out more about the art and design courses visit: www.stockton.ac.uk/art-design
