70 years of commitment to students’ career success

City College Southampton has set its students on the path to career success for the past 70 years.

Since opening its doors in 1952, hundreds of thousands of students and apprentices have come to study professional, technical and creative courses and have left with the knowledge and confidence to achieve great things in all walks of life.

In January we asked former students and staff to get in touch with their memories of college and to say what they did next.  We have been thrilled with the hundreds of fascinating stories sent in which show that City College has enabled and inspired people to be successful in many different spheres, including those from Mark Turner and Kerry Witt.

Mark Turner, originally from Thornhill in Southampton, left school in the 1970s with no qualifications but, after achieving twelve O-levels and A-level Maths, Statistics and Computer Science at the college, the doors were opened for him to progress to university and pursue a career in IT.

Working as an Account Manager at software solutions provider AMT-SYBEX, Mark said: “The college made my life. I went on to get a degree and have since had a positive life teaching others and working in various IT roles all because of the fantastic opportunity given to me by the college. Great times, great lecturers, and I’ll be forever grateful.”

City College continues to enable young people and adults to take qualifications that will enable them to succeed.  These days Mark would take one of our excellent Access to Higher Education courses, which  continually helps adults gain the right qualification to go to university and start a new career path in areas such as Nursing, Social Work and Law.

Another highly impressive accolade for City College are the career successes achieved by our former Hospitality students, including Michelin-star chefs Paul Ainsworth and Simon Rogan and award-winning chocolatiers Mark Tilling and Kerry Witt.

[Images: Paul Ainsworth, Simon Rogan, Mark Tilling, Kerry Witt]

Kerry Witt, from the New Forest, used the knowledge and skills she gained at City College to develop her culinary skills and then to set up her own luxury chocolate business, Chocolate by Miss Witt. She studied for an NVQ Level 3 Pastry qualification at City College in 1998, which led to her first job.

Kerry said: “When I was at college, Michelin-starred chef Alex Aitken came to judge a competition. I wanted to be the best pastry chef, so I asked him for a job at his restaurant Le Poussin in Brockenhurst.

“Luckily he needed some help making chocolate truffles and I got the job! That chance meeting with Alex at college gave me the start I needed to move forward in my career.

“I have since been on festival stages with Alex demonstrating chocolate-making and I supply Southampton Harbour Hotel, where he is the Chef Patron, with my products.”

Today, Kerry’s company produces award-winning chocolates and she gives masterclasses in the art of chocolate. She uses single origin chocolate such as Cardenas, from Ecuador where the chocolate is grown on heritage cacao trees which have been in the family for many years.

City College Principal Sarah Stannard said: “We are delighted to have had such a great response from alumni and former members of staff who have given us a glimpse into the college's past and the achievements they have made in their careers.  It’s not too late for former students and staff to get in touch.

“We hope that many will come and see us at our Community Open Day on Saturday June 18 and see how the College has continued to develop.”

To share your memories of City College, visit www.southampton-city.ac.uk/share