Careers & Employability @ HCA

It was a pleasure to welcome Sharon Pocock (pictured above) back to the College today to talk to Foundation Diploma in Art & Design students about her career. Sharon is a former Foundation student who today runs Kinder Pocock, a successful local accountancy business.

During her talk Sharon shared with students what happened after leaving College and how she used her creative background and transferred the skills she learnt at College to become a forward thinking Accountant. Embracing new technologies, including accounting in the cloud with products such as Xero and Receipt Bank, Sharon has this week launched her own free accountants app!

Sharon’s visit concluded a week of talks, as part of the College’s Careers & Employability Programme, to Further Education students. The talks focused on transferable skills, highlighting the careers of local people and what they had achieved since leaving College. It was interesting to hear their journeys which included for some travel and a change from what they had originally planned. What they all had in common was a recognition that the skills, experiences and friendships they had made in College had remained with them and proved a useful resource in their lives and careers.

Dennis Schiavon from the Music Pool delighted students on his journey as a musician, singer and actor highlighting the high and lows through a career that has required a tenacious and versatile approach. Jessica Prosser from Hereford’s Courtyard Theatre shared her story which included time out traveling and a brave approach, taking risks and drawing on her background in performing arts to ensure success in reaching her current position as the theatre’s marketing manager.

(Pictured: Left – Wendy Tolley, Right – Jessica Prosser with Performing Arts students)

A story with many twists and turns but full of entrepreneurship came from former student Anthony Murphy, known to many as Murf, who forms a quarter of the award winning Beefy Boys. Murf shared with students tales of the Beefy Boys and their journey from a back garden BBQ, to their second consecutive top 10 finish at the World Food Championships in America which provided the platform for the launch of their first restaurant in Hereford’s Old Market Shopping Centre. Proud to be the only independent restaurant in the development, the Beefy Boys have remained true to their roots using local suppliers and producers and of course, Hereford College of Arts Graduates, who have played a big part in the design element including typography, illustrations, menu designs and their all important logo! Murf’s advice was to take risks, have a go, use all of the skills you learn as a student and keep in touch with people as you never know when you might need each other or get the opportunity to collaborate!

So a great week that was rounded off by the completion of the Folly Lane Campus’s new Careers and Jobs Boards providing information on everything from further study at the College to apprenticeships and opportunities for part time work and volunteering.

Our thanks to our speakers for their time and support!