Your Journey, Your Way: Backing Yourself for Change
For Steve, the decision to return to education was huge, especially with a young family and a full-time job as a Kitchen Team Leader. He felt unchallenged and knew he needed a change.
“I never thought I’d make it as far as HN level,” Steve admits. “But step by step it’s achievable. If I can make that jump from long hours in a kitchen to studying engineering at a higher level, then it’s definitely possible for others too”.
The flexibility of the Higher National was critical to his success. Balancing a full-time job and family life meant his schedule was packed, but the course structure—a mix of classes, online resources, and supportive lecturers—allowed him to fit study around shifts and family commitments.
“Without that flexibility, I wouldn’t have made it to HN level,” he states.
He advises others with similar backgrounds to “back yourself” and remember that work and life experience count for a lot when returning to education.
Hands-On Learning, Real-World Skills
Steve’s HND Graded Unit in engineering proved to be a blueprint for the complex work he does now as a Migration Coordinator at Fife College. This highlights how HNs equip students with the practical expertise employers demand.
He directly compares his college project steps to his current job managing the migration of two campuses into one:
- College: Understanding the problem and designing the project scope. Today: Managing the campus migration.
- College: Sourcing and purchasing the right parts. Today: Heavily involved in procurement.
- College: Managing deadlines and balancing project parts. Today: Coordinating a complex project and keeping it on track.
“The scale is bigger now, but the process is the same: identify the problem, plan the solution, manage the time, check the details, and deliver,” he explains. “The HND gave me that foundation, and I’m still using it every day”.
He credits the practical nature of the qualification—being in labs, solving problems, and delivering projects—with giving him a professional mindset before he even stepped into his technical job. The core skills he uses daily are problem solving, time management, and technical understanding—all honed during his HN studies.
A Passport to the Workplace and University
Steve’s story is the ultimate proof that an HN is a passport to both the workplace and university.
His first HN in Electrical Engineering gave him the credibility to leave hospitality and join a maintenance team at a five-star hotel. The qualification was the difference between being seen as a hobbyist and a candidate with the credentials to take on the technical work.
He later completed a second HN in Facilities Management, which provided the broader skills in planning, procurement, and project delivery that aligned perfectly with his current role at Fife College.
“For me, the Higher National has been a genuine passport because it’s opened doors at different stages of my career… Without it, I’d never have been taken seriously for that kind of position”.
Furthermore, the initial HN gave him a clear route to his long-term goal: completing a degree in electrical engineering at Napier University. The college pathway provided the qualification, confidence, and a clear route to university, something he once thought was impossible.
Shaping a Century of Success
Steve believes that Higher Nationals are vital for shaping Scotland’s workforce because they successfully bridge the gap between education and the workplace. They took his years of experience in hospitality and converted them into technical credibility and then wider management skills.
In a single sentence, Steve sums up the role of the HN in his life:
“A Higher National gave me the chance to completely change direction, moving from kitchens into technical and estates work, and building the career I never thought I’d have”.
