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For Daniel Reece, choosing HoW College was the first step towards a future in healthcare. Encouraged by his friends’ positive experiences at the college and his own experiences supporting family members through illness, Daniel learned just how important compassionate and skilled care can be. He enrolled on the Level 3 Health and Social Care course, passionate to begin his journey.

His success throughout the first year of this course inspired him to take the next step on our new T Level in Health, where he has fully embraced fresh challenges and opportunities.

Daniel enjoyed his time on the Health and Social Care course and found it to be a stark difference from his secondary school experience. With a combination of classroom learning and a work placement, he discovered that college was somewhere he could truly thrive.

During his placement in a residential home, Daniel supported residents with dementia, Parkinson’s, and a range of other needs. Although he found the new experience nerve-wracking at first, he soon grew in confidence as he learned to interact with residents sensitively and intuitively. He built many meaningful connections, including one resident who looked forward to their daily puzzle time together.

As Daniel progressed, his confidence grew thanks to the support of his tutors across both Health and Social Care and English. With the help of tutors Helen and Chase, Daniel retook his English qualification – an entirely different experience from secondary school. He found the tutors in-depth knowledge valuable and led to a greater understanding and appreciation for the subject. Although adjusting to a new exam board was difficult, Daniel was determined to succeed. Knowing that an English qualification was needed to develop a career in healthcare, motivated him to work hard and successfully passed his English exam, ready to move into the second year of his course.

During this time, HoW College introduced the new T Level in Health – designed with employers to ensure students gain essential skills required in the industry. After a discussion with his tutor, Nikki, Daniel felt that being in a hospital was the place he wanted to be and enrolled, becoming part of the first cohort to study the qualification at the college.

Daniel has continued to thrive with the new course. Moving from a course focused on the wider industry to a more science-focused structure allowed him a new perspective. He particularly enjoyed the academic challenge of the scientific units with the opportunity to apply that knowledge in exams.

Now in his first year, Daniel has loved the first few months of the T Level. His class of just six students means lessons are fast-paced, focused, and allow for in-depth discussions. The small group bonded quickly, forming a supportive and encouraging learning environment. Daniel struggled with presentations but with the support of his classmates, have found that they have become easy and fun to do, engaging with the audience, and found that this has only helped him in his work placements.

One highlight of the course has been the introduction of the St Wulstan’s mock hospital ward. The professional-level learning space gives students hands-on experience with industry standard equipment, including patient care manikins. In this safe environment, Daniel has been able to practice procedures such as tracheotomy care, intramuscular injections and scenario-based roleplay, which provides valuable insight for real-world work placements.

Daniel also praised the opportunity to complete a placement with the NHS, something extremely difficult to secure independently. Thanks to HoW College’s partnership, Daniel has spent his first placement on the Paediatrics ward, gaining an incredible amount of knowledge in such a short time. He hopes to experience the surgery ward next, and aims to explore as many aspects of hospital care before he progresses onto higher education.

With more time left on his course, Daniel is keeping his options open for his future. He is currently considering between adult nursing and paramedic science, and several universities and hopes to narrow his choice down over the next year before applying for higher education. Whatever path he chooses, Daniel is committed to making a positive impact to each patient he will go on to support.