Former Forth Valley College student wins two awards at University of Stirling

Edward Macmillan (25), originally from Leeds, started his BA Hons degree at FVC and has now progressed to become a prize winning student at the University of Stirling.

He said: “Winning two prizes for my Heritage Portfolio was a very welcome surprise. I wasn't expecting to see it perform so well by achieving a 1st, so to discover that it

had also won me both the Stirling University's Research Based Learning Prize for Best Dissertation in Heritage, in addition to the Stirling Guildry Prize for the best

History Dissertation/Heritage Portfolio, was absolutely wonderful to hear and to see that all of my hard work had paid off.”

It was a voluntary work placement experience at Elgin Museum which encouraged Edward to apply for the FVC partnership degree course in Heritage and Tourism.

He said: “The college was absolutely fantastic. The range of facilities available, the staff who are more than willing to help support your development, and the lecturers I had were wonderful to learn from.

“The experience has helped me to better refine my skill set for future careers. Independent studying has been a skill I struggled with, but thanks to the support from

both lecturers and library staff, it has become much easier which, in turn, helped me to perform exceptionally well in third and fourth year.

“Having enjoyed the digital aspects of tourism - such as social media promotion - I am now pursuing a MSc in Marketing at Stirling University, in the hope of becoming a

Heritage/Museum Marketing Officer.

“The best bit for me has been the chance to not only learn within classes, but also on trips. Learning about the different attractions, such as the Kelpies and Blair

Drummond Safari Park, helped to make my experience at Forth Valley College all the more enjoyable.

“Studying at Forth Valley College has not only been an enjoyable experience in terms of academic studies – it’s also been a wonderful experience meeting new people both from Scotland and other countries. I’ve met friends for life here and I’d highly recommend it for anyone taking their first steps into further education."