Turn your hobbies into skills at SGS

SGS COLLEGE HAS VARIOUS PART-TIME COURSES TO GET MORE FROM PASTIMES

IF YOU’VE picked up a new pastime during lockdown, then you’re certainly not alone. The Office for National Statistic recorded that more than 40 per cent of people in the UK had taken up cooking, gardening or reading to help the ease the strains of social distancing. It also reported that one in ten were turning to something new to keep them occupied. If you’ve found your ‘knack’ and you’re wondering how to progress your passion into something that more than a hobby, then a part-time course could help. SGS College has a number of parttime leisure courses designed to help learners get the most of a particular interest, whether that’s as immersive pursuit, something to add to your CV or as a potential future career. Courses vary greatly from animal care and yoga to languages and IT. Shariff Mahmood has been studying ‘access to art and design’ at SGS College. He said: “I have really enjoyed working with the other artists at the college and seeing their creativity. The art department is a very inspiring place to learn. “The other students have supported me loads especially when I found the written work challenging. “The tutors were also very supportive of me and were easy to speak to if I had problems inside and outside of college. They gave me additional mental health support on top of the teaching in lessons. I am very grateful to them.” Bron Whittle has been studying contemporary jewellery making at the college after completing several short courses for beginners and wanting to gain skills that could lead on to a career in that field. Bron said: “The course was great and really well organised. Lots of individual help was provided and the chance to apply skills learnt to individual projects. The class size was small so everyone received the help they needed. “The workshop was also well equipped. It was great to be introduced to industry-type tools and being taught from someone in the industry. This was so much better than short courses I have previously been on.” SGS Principal, Sara-jane Watkins, said: “Our part-time course offer has been carefully put together to reflect the needs of our community in these uncertain times. “Whether you fancy taking some time for yourself with a new leisure activity, boosting your career with professional qualifications, improving your skills or trying something completely different at SGS College, we have the right course for you.” To find a full list of SGS College’s parttime courses, visit www.sgscol.ac.uk/ study/parttime.