Aaron completed a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, a one-year full time course, at the College in Ballymena before going on to university. The Level 3 qualification which is A level equivalent, is aimed at students who want to broaden their practical and theoretical understanding of art, design and media practice and is a good progression route to either university or employment.
Having completed the Foundation Diploma, Aaron felt he had the necessary skills – and just as importantly – confidence in his own ability to apply to university to do a BA (Hons) degree, specialising in ceramics.
“Great things start with humble beginnings and when I started out on this journey, I never imagined I could get this far. The bottom line is, if I hadn’t done the Foundation Diploma at Northern Regional College, I would never have ended up with a first class honours degree and a post as resident artist.”
Congratulating Aaron on his appointment as Resident Artist at Ulster University, Art lecturer and director of the Foundation Diploma Jeanette Lammey, said she was delighted with his success.
“The Foundation Diploma gives students an ideal opportunity to experiment and take creative risks so they can develop a broad portfolio of work that will help them progress in their career. The transferable skills they develop while doing the course are highly regarded by higher education and employers and this certainly proved to be the case with Aaron.”