Local girl Isla Curphey, never expected that studying a two-year National Extended Diploma in Construction & the Built Environment (BTEC Level 3) at University College Isle of Man (UCM), would help her build the confidence and drive to continue her studies to degree level off island, at Loughborough University.
Sparking an interest
Initially, Isla was uncertain of what she wanted to do after completing her A Levels, however, growing up on her family’s farm and having a strong interest for the outdoors, the Construction and the Built Environment Diploma, really stood out to her.
“The course was academic based, consisted of 18 different topics and provided an overall understanding of the construction industry, acting almost like an introduction into the world of construction and surveying. It was perfect for me, I would absolutely recommend this course for anyone with an interest in construction.”
An inspiring course
For Isla, the opportunity to continue her post A Level studies locally on island, encouraged her to become more confident and driven, she explained, “UCM inspired me to progress to Loughborough University, I don’t think I would have felt brave enough to go if I hadn’t studied this Diploma”.
Isla continued, “Completing projects and working collaboratively in groups for presentations, made me feel braver speaking in front of people, and just completely pushed me outside of my comfort zone.”
What’s next?
When Isla isn’t at university, she spends time working on her family’s farm and playing Rugby for Vagabonds, a hobby which she was able to keep up whilst at UCM.
Isla shares her plans for the future, “I’m studying BSc (Hons) Commercial Management & Quantity Surveying at Loughborough, so that will be my plan for the next four years, but I do plan on returning home eventually, all my family are on island and I would like to go into quantity surveying after I graduate.”
Read more about studying the National Extended Diploma in Construction & the Built Environment (BTEC Level 3) at UCM here.