Returning to college transformed my life says Gemma

The Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor lecturer enrolled on a Business Management degree before progressing to a PGCE – and now has a job she loves

Gemma Stone-Williams applied to Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor having always wanted to do a degree, and said: “It totally changed the course of my life.”

Gemma, from Dyffryn Ardudwy, decided the time was right to go back to college when her youngest child finished primary school.

She enrolled on the BA (Hons) in Business Management at the Dolgellau campus in 2017, and was so inspired by her lecturers that she stayed at college to study a PGCE.

Now she works as a part-time lecturer, while also running her own property management business.

Gemma says she “loves going” to her job at the college, and is glad she took the plunge and returned to education.

“It’s the best thing I’ve ever done,” she said. “It’s totally changed the course of my life.

“It’s helped me get a job I really enjoy and love going to every day. It’s really rewarding helping students with their education, and anyone who’s thinking about doing a PGCE, I’d say go for it.”

Gemma didn’t intend to go into teaching when she applied to college, choosing the Business Management degree as she felt it would complement her holiday lets enterprise.

She said: “I was at a bit of a crossroads – my children were a bit older, my daughter was in her final year of primary school, so I had a bit more free time.

“I was running my own business, but I’d always wanted to go back and do a degree. I decided to do the business course because I felt it would apply to my own business and I could fit it around my work.

“I found the degree quite tough, but I enjoyed challenging myself, and when I’d completed it I felt amazing.

“The teachers were so supportive, and the fact you can fit it around your home life is amazing. We only had to go into college one day a week so I was able to fit it around family life and running my business.”

Gemma was inspired to take her next step by lecturers Catrin Edwards, Sioned William and Lyndsey Edwards.

She said: “I didn’t plan to do the PGCE, but as part of the business degree we were encouraged to think about what we wanted to do next, and I realised I enjoyed being in education.

“While Catrin, Sioned and Lyndsey were teaching me I was thinking ‘I’d really enjoy doing that job’, and they just really inspired me to want to go into teaching. They were really encouraging and that helped me out a lot.”

So after gaining her degree, Gemma progressed to the PGCE – and knew she had made the right decision.

“I loved the PGCE course,” she said. “My tutors Delyth Williams and Catrin, they were so supportive. I really enjoyed learning about teaching and understanding the principles of teaching, and have found it really rewarding.”

Since then, Gemma has taught an array of different subjects at different levels within Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor, gaining a broad range of experience that has strengthened her CV.

She said: “The first year of teaching was quite challenging, but as I’m developing myself it’s getting easier and hopefully it will get easier from now on.

“I did a lot of business when I first started teaching. Last year I taught Welsh Baccalaureate to the engineering students, teaching essential skills, communication, digital literacy and employability. I also teach the leadership and management unit on the Health and Social Care degree.

“Being able to have that much experience of different levels in my first couple of years, and getting to work with the different departments, has been great.”