Staff Stories – Inspiring and supporting others to achieve their dreams

Jake is a Student Manager at Preston College supporting and mentoring students based in Sport, Travel and Tourism and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). The Student Manager role at Preston College is a dynamic role which involves supporting students to reach their potential whether this is helping them with their next step, providing advice on careers or being someone, they can talk to.

Jake says: “After I completed my sport course at Preston College, I worked in a HR role and then became a police officer, these experiences have helped me to develop transferable skills that I can apply in my role as a Student Manager. Skills in communication, customer service, managing people and supporting young people in sometimes difficult situations has been really valuable.
Being a Student Manager is incredibly rewarding, you can make a real impact to a young person’s life. I have organised guest speakers to help them explore their career options, I have helped students gain places at top universities and taught them skills that they’ll need out there in the world beyond education.”

Student Managers are people who thrive in busy environments and Jake is no exception, with a very busy life outside of work too. Not only does he work full-time but he is also a competitive athlete and studying for a degree in Sport and Exercise Science. This summer Jake will fly to Australia to represent the Great Britain Age Group Team in the Standard Distance Duathlon World Championships.

For Jake the Student Manager role at Preston College provides the right balance between work and his dreams and uses this to set an example to the students he manages.

Jake explains: “In my previous job roles, it was challenging to fit everything in. At Preston College I have a workplace that is friendly and supportive of my goals. I have found the right balance between work, training, studying, and competing. It has always been a dream of mine to represent my country at a sporting level and I’m hoping that following my dream will inspire the students that I look after.”

We’re Hiring!
Preston College has generous terms and conditions and an excellent benefits package that is intended to attract, motivate, and retain the best people to help drive the College forward. We are recognised as disability confidence employer, accredited as ‘Gold’ for Investors in People and have a range of family friendly policies.

Visit our vacancies page for the latest opportunities.

Help Jake get to Australia!

While you are here – you can also help Jake achieve his dream of representing his county! Great Nephew of Sir Tom Finney selected to represent Great Britain in Australia 2024 – Get the full story here