CASE STUDIES
Life Stories
What’s it really like to be a BTEC Student? We asked Teanna Maguire to share her experience.
Teanna Maguire
Teanna Maguire, who won BTEC Child, Health and Social Care Student of the Year in 2019
(Pearson BTEC), was described as ‘one of the strongest students I have worked with in 20
years of teaching’ by her subject leader at Sir John Deane’s College.
The experience she gained through her work placements and
training for the BTEC Level 3 in Health and Social Care (with a
top-up subsidiary in Applied Science that the College suggested she
take due to her evident talent and impressive work ethic) has opened
up a pathway to her dream career, and she’s now embarked upon
a midwifery degree at the University of Manchester.
Teanna invested as much time and energy in developing her skills
and knowledge as she possibly could. She singles out the work
experience element as one of the best things about the BTEC
course, as she gained not only confidence and independence
from reaching out and securing the placements herself, but a
whole range of career-focused skills from being on placement.
‘I loved every single one of them and I loved the fact that BTEC
gave me the opportunity to do them ... I love speaking to people
and that element of the course was incredible.’
As well as helping, Teanna learned how to engage with and
talk to people – a crucial aspect of being a midwife, she says
that her BTEC also gave her other skills that prepared her
particularly well for HE:
• Independence – absolute must at university and BTEC already
gives this.
• Time management skills – again an absolute must at university
and something BTEC prepares you for.
• Communication skills – you just must be able to speak and
read non-verbal communication; it’s an NHS core value and
it’s something that the BTEC absolutely gives.
• Courageousness – another NHS core value and BTEC taught me
that through having to be bold and organise my own placements.
• Organisation skills – I don’t just mean time management but
everything. This is not a ‘normal’ degree – you are working all
the time and you must be able to organise your life.
• Understanding – through different placements but also just
through seeing other people on the course and their strengths
and weaknesses – everyone is different.
Though of course much of her success comes from her own
effort and that of her teachers, Teanna says she’s grateful for
the opportunities BTEC has given her and is extremely proud to
be the first in her family to attend university. “I am so thankful
for the knowledge I have learnt throughout the course and work
experience and believe if it wasn’t for the vocational aspect of
the course and the confidence it has given me to pursue a career
in health and social care, I would not be where I am today.”
Teanna’s story is a great example of how BTEC and other
vocational pathways aid social mobility, giving people from all
backgrounds a first step onto the career ladder. ‘BTECs recognise
that there’s difference in people but not in their potential.’
To find out more visit https://qualifications.pearson.com
www.careermap.co.uk
Careermag for School Leavers Issue 15 | 25