A strategy many students consider when deciding what to do in college is to join a Level 6 course in an area they are interested in before committing to the Level 8 degree. These courses tend to be shorter, have lower entry requirements and graduates can gain entry to year two of an Honours Bachelor Degree.
This was the route current student, Michael Collins, followed to study Human Resource Management and complete a 12-month work placement with EirGrid. This shows the importance of completing your Level 6/7 options on your CAO form and considering all options when planning your third-level education.
Michael shares insights into his study journey and work placement below.
Why did you choose to study the BA (Honours) in Human Resource Management at NCI?
I originally completed the Level 6 Higher Certificate in Business in NCI after I was advised by my guidance counsellor to put down business while completing my CAO form as it was broad and led to career progression in different areas. One of the modules I found interesting was human resources.
After completing the Higher Certificate, I went on to the Level 8 BA (Honours) Human Resource Management*, and it has been amazing so far. The class sizes are small, meaning you can form a relationship with your lecturers and even feel less worried about asking questions. The topics covered really interested me and it’s an area of work I could talk for Ireland about.
*Note: Students who complete the Higher Certificate in Business can gain entry into year two of NCI's BA (Honours) in Business or they can join year one of the BA (Honours) in Human Resource Management.
Can you share some insights into studying HRM at NCI?
You will cover many different modules, including Law, Economics, and Industrial Relations. As previously mentioned, the class sizes are small which makes it easier to talk to new people and make friends in your first few days in college. For many modules, you will join classes with students from the BA (Honours) in Business which gives you the opportunity to meet more people with similar interests.
My dad previously completed a course in NCI and mentioned that I would enjoy the class sizes as I wouldn’t be fond of sitting in lectures with hundreds of people. He also shared that the standard of lecturing is very high, which I strongly agree with.
NCI has very good industry connections which is very useful for those looking for their first role as a recent graduate. There is also an option to complete a year of work placement between years two and three of your course which I decided to do, and I can safely say it was the best decision I have made whilst studying in college.
You completed your work placement with EirGrid recently. Tell us about your experience working there and what you learned during your placement?
It was quite daunting to begin with as it was my first professional role. Getting used to the amount of people in the company, let alone the HR team, was something I had to adapt to quickly as the amount of people in my team was similar to the number of staff across the company in my previous role.
The team were very professional and I felt a real sense of belonging which was important to me. I am very grateful to have worked alongside a team of such lovely people. This motivated me to perform to the best of my abilities, not only for myself but to ensure I contributed to the effectiveness of our overall team. Of course you are going to make mistakes, but it is all about how you learn from these mistakes.
I was based in HR Operations, our main focus was on supporting employees and managers with their employee life cycle. This involved answering employee queries, setting up new starters on the personnel database and providing employment verification letters.
"Opting into doing work placement was the best decision I made in college as it confirmed that I want to go into HR after I complete my degree as I enjoyed it so much"
Much of the work involved sensitive information such as employees addresses, PPS numbers, and salaries so it was important to keep these documented professionally. Much of what I learned involved gaining insight into the world of HR and how busy it can be, but the biggest thing I took from completing my year with EirGrid is communication and how important it is. Whether it’s letting your team lead/manager know your capacity to complete tasks, what days you’re taking as annual leave or even the days you are working from home (EirGrid has a hybrid working model) as this can help the team organise tasks.
As previously mentioned, the decision for me to complete a year of placement is the best decision I have made whilst in college as it has confirmed the fact that I want to go into HR after I complete my degree as I enjoyed it so much. It is incredibly challenging and requires patience and resilience, but I felt that I was challenged to work to the best of my ability.
Do you have any advice for someone who is considering their CAO options?
I would advise anyone filling out their CAO to bite the bullet and go for it. College isn’t for everyone but it’s better to find that out early on. Ensure the courses you put down interest you, so you’ve at least given yourself a chance to complete them.
Ensure you apply for PLC’s as they are a great fallback if you don’t get your desired college course. As the oldest child in my family, I was nervous as I felt that I had to set an example by going to college, but now see that the expectation was to do what made me happy regardless of the career path I chose.
Not many people at 17/18 years of age know what they want to do which is fine but once you work hard and do what you enjoy then that’s your expectation being reached!
Finally, what’s next for you and your career?
Firstly, after getting through my placement in one piece, I am going to take what I feel is a well-deserved break from working as although these past 12 months have been enjoyable, they have also been tiring!
I am going to then complete my final year in my degree in Human Resource Management and hopefully get a graduate role in HR. I can also see myself travelling over the next few years, many of these travels will consist of me following my beloved sports teams Leinster Rugby and Arsenal FC!
Michael is currently studying the BA (Honours) in Human Resource Management at National College of Ireland. Visit our CAO Hub to learn more about studying with us in September!
