“IT has taught me that you should approach a problem using accepted IT principles and remember that each step of your design is as important as the last. Through this I have learned that solving problems and maintaining systems is what I enjoy and this is what I would like to do in my future career. There is strong emphasis on data and how it shapes the world around us. We recently did a research exercise where we learned about the fundamentals of data analytics and we used an example of real data to look how it is collected, cleaned and used to interpret data effectively. We worked in groups and presented our findings to the group.

We are currently looking at big data and machine learning, which has given us a fascinating insight into the power of algorithms and how organisations use them to spot trends and make predictions on future consumer behaviour. We wrote a report as part of our assessments on how the use of this data differs between large and small organisations. We will also be completing hands-on coursework in Spreadsheet Data Modelling, creating real solutions using industry-standard tools.  The College is part of the North West IT Talent Consortium, which offers visits to companies, such as PwC UK and TalkTalk, to give us insights into working in IT. During a recent visit, we took part in a competition, working in a project team and made presentations in front of representatives from the companies.”