Uncertainty to Opportunity, Luca Fortey's Journey with T Levels

Completing a GCSE in Computing, Luca wasn’t certain about his career path but found that the Level 3 T Level in Digital Production Design & Development combined a subject he liked the most in Secondary School and decided to join the course.

The transition to this qualification was daunting with the academic study and industry experience and over his first few months questioned whether he had made the right choice.

With his uncertainty, he went to his tutor Ash who encouraged him to keep carrying on, seeing a spark that could potentially turn into more.

"There were times when the course felt challenging, but the support from tutors helped me keep going and achieve my goals."

So Luca carried on and gradually grew in confidence and developed the resilience to overcome obstacles. Looking back he see these challenges as an important part of his development, building his confidence, helping him become more independent and motivated.

"The placement helped me understand what working in the industry is really like and gave me confidence in my own abilities."

As part of the industry placement, Luca worked at Specify. Working in a real business environment gave him valuable insight into the industry and how to apply the skills he learnt in the classroom into the workplace.

Over the two years, he was able to experience his professional workplace expectations, develop key communication and teamwork skills, understand software testing and business processes and take a step closer to what he would like to do in his future.

The experience of the T Level helped bridged the gap between education and employment and it helped with broadening his skills to use in all aspects of his life.

With being one of the first cohorts for T Levels, he found the smaller class sizes to be beneficial in receiving targeted help whenever it was needed and developing a deeper understanding of the work involved.

At the end of the two years, Luca was still unsure where to go but was encouraged again by his tutor Ash that the HNC and then the HND in Computing at the college. His experience in the T Level meant he went into Higher Education with experience in independent learning, project-based work, industry expectations, and technical computing concepts that made studying the HNC easier. 

Luca’s ambitions have evolved as his confidence has grown, whilst feeling proficient in technology he finds himself looking back to his earlier dreams of teaching and supporting others to build their computer skills like his tutors once did with him. 

Why did Luca enjoy a T Level in Digital? 

 "The T Level gave me valuable experience, practical skills and a clear pathway into higher education."