If you’re considering a degree or higher-level course here at York College University Centre, this is the perfect place to find out where our programmes could lead. If you’ve completed a higher education course at York College previously, we’d love to hear about your journey since graduation.
If you are a Higher Education Alumni, of any course, be sure to share your experience with us via a Higher Education case study form.
Lisa received the Best Make Up and Hair Design BAFTA for her work on the ITV hit drama The Long Shadow, which told the story of the police’s five-year search for Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe.
The BAFTA TV awards were televised by BBC One in a show hosted by comedians Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan at London’s Royal Festival Hall.
Lisa was one of the first students to enrol on York College’s Media Make-Up course when it was run by Yorkshire Television at the time.
She has since worked as a Hair and Make-up Designer in the industry for 24 years and won the award at the age of 53 following her first-ever BAFTA nomination.
BA (Hons) Media Make-up, Special Effects & Hair Design
Nadia, who studied Media Make-up with the College from 2004 to 2006, scooped the Best Makeup & Hairstyling gong at the 96th Academy Awards Ceremony.
It was in recognition of her work as Makeup, Hair and Prosthetics Designer on the movie Poor Things, for which she also won a BAFTA last month.
Nadia has always maintained close links with her former education provider, where she was a classmate of current York College University Centre BA (Hons) Media Make-up, Special Effects & Hair Design Programme Lead Sharon Barrington.
She has previously expressed her pride at being a former student and sent a video message of support to students during the Covid Lockdown.
Nadia is now intending to visit campus when her busy schedule permits.
BA (Hons) Media Make-up, Special Effects & Hair Design
Rebecca Mihill enrolled on York College University Centre’s BA (Hons) 3D Creative Practice course “for fun” – but ended it with a new career as a jeweller!
Having gained her first degree at the age of 55 and celebrated her 2:1 during the Graduation Ceremony in York Minster, Rebecca’s work can be seen and bought in the Fabrication Gift Shop on Coney Street.
She also showcases her items at York Open Studios, as well as on Instagram.
Rebecca now specialises as an eco jeweller, working with recycled silver and adding colour using enamel and sea glass.
On her unexpected vocational turn, she said: “I did a lot of things after leaving school and ended up being a Steiner Waldorf kindergarten teacher for 13 years. Steiner schools are wonderful places, but I just wanted to do something else, and I wanted that to be something creative, so I thought the 3D Creative Practice course was tailor-made for me and I really enjoyed it.
“I think I might have chosen a Fine Art degree in my younger days, but I probably wouldn’t quite have been good enough. I am creative, though, and I also liked all the things we explored on the course, like ceramics, woodwork and metalwork and I did the course for fun to be honest.
“I didn’t expect that I was going to make a vocation out of it, but I specialised in jewellery and I think I can now say that I’m a jeweller! That has been an added bonus and my brother says I have reinvented myself.
“I’m selling my own jewellery now and it feels amazing and is something that I thought would never happen to me. At my age, I’m not looking for a mega hardcore career, but I’m really happy to be a jeweller for as long as it lasts and I’m still learning masses all the time.”
BA (Hons) 3D Creative Practice
Skydiving “adrenaline junkie” Sonny Dalton-Milliken has hit new heights after securing Distinction grades throughout his HNC in Construction Management course with York College University Centre.
Sonny, 31, was presented with the Institute of Technology Outstanding Achievement Award at our University Centre Graduation Ceremony in York Minster last month.
Used to reaching for the sky, having completed close to 900 jumps after qualifying as a sky-diving instructor in New Zealand during eight years of travelling following his A Levels, Sonny excelled when he returned to education to study the work-based qualification with the support of his employer Portakabin.
“I decided to take the opportunity to enrol onto the HNC in Construction Management course because of the sector I’m working in,” Sonny explained. “I already had experience of working in the construction industry and the course was tailored to my role.
“The main reason for choosing a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subject was because of the industry I work in and as a way to progress. I feel like this course has put me in good stead for project management in the future.”
On his experience as a returning College student 10 years after leaving Campus and the skills and knowledge he acquired on the Higher Technical Qualification, Sonny added: “I met a great group of people and the tutors were really helpful and friendly. All the facilities were good and I had everything I needed to learn.
Sonny is also looking forward to what the future might hold with Portakabin.
“They are a great company to work for and really look after you,” he enthused. “I’ve got my eye on doing a CMI Leadership & Management course which is a Level 5. I’d like to get into management roles in the future and this course would help me to prepare for that.”
HTQ Higher National Certificate (HNC) Construction Management for England (Site Supervisor)
Khushi Iqbal-Butt has declared that commuting to York College from Manchester twice a week is worth it as she works towards a career in wig making.
The 20-year-old celebrated the completion of her Media Make-up, Special Effects and Hair Design Foundation Degree at last month’s York College University Centre Graduation Ceremony in York Minster.
She has now enrolled on to the one-year BA (Hons) Top-up course in the same York School of Art subject.
Khushi’s talents were recognised at our Ready Steady Glow event earlier this year when a panel of industry experts from the hair and beauty sector deemed her wig display to be the best on show, winning her £100 worth of Dennis Williams products.
On why she is continuing to travel across the Pennines for her Higher Education, Khushi said: “The College is very welcoming and nice. The teachers are so helpful and I found my feet very easily here.
“I travel in from Manchester by train two days a week, so that’s a big commitment, but I just love being here. Courses can be stressful and the first year of my Foundation Degree was quite hard, but I really enjoyed the second year and just loved making everything.
“I’m a bit sad that the Foundation year is over, but happy that I’ve progressed onto the BA Top-up course now.”
FD Media Make-up, Special Effects & Hair Design
