Name
Jessica Moore
Where are you from city/town
Derry~Londonderry
Previous education before HLA?
I was previously at Thornhill College where I obtained my GCSE and A Level qualifications. After having achieved 3 A’s in my A Level Maths, Professional Business Services and Digital Technology, this was a brilliant foundation for moving on to the Accounting Technicians Ireland apprenticeship program.
What made you decide to do the HLA?
Personally, through having hands-on experience in the workplace, the HLA is typically ideal for individuals who tend to sway towards the kinesthetic learning approach. This is because when working in practice, you have the ability to relate information learned during class to real-life examples, making it easier to remember.
How does the HLA work, how much time is in college and how much time with your employer?
As part of the HLA course, your employer is required to give you a day release to attend college for your classes and you will work with your employer for the remaining 4 days. This typically means you have the weekends off to yourself, provided you have the motivation to do any required study during the week after work. Any day you may not be attending college, for example, if the college is closed for Halloween etc. and your workplace is open, it often required that you attend work, but this is at the disclosure of your employer.
Did the fact that you don't have to worry about student loans attract you to the course?
The fact that there is no student debt at the end of the course and you can obtain a very useful qualification definitely attracted me to the course. Also, getting paid by your employer for 5 days a week, 4 days working and 1 day release, is much more beneficial. This is because there is no requirement to work a part time job on the weekends which also wouldn’t provide as much finance as getting paid 5 days a week.
Why accountancy?
“Accounting is the process of recording financial transactions pertaining to a business. The accounting process includes summarizing, analysing, and reporting these transactions to oversight agencies, regulators, and tax collection entities.”
I have always enjoyed working with numbers and money which is the reason as to why Maths would have always been my favourite subject. Typically, I find it is more straightforward working with numbers because answers are usually black and white whereas essay subjects such as English or History tend to have a lot of grey areas.
Did you have a previous background in accounts?
Previously, I had worked in a family business from the age of 11 for 7 years where, as I got older, I gained experience in money handling such as the end of day banking, receiving cash/card payments from customers, paying supplier statements at the end of the month and eventually was involved in the payroll process for the business.
Would you recommend the HLA?
I would highly recommend the HLA to anyone who has a high level of motivation to gain their qualifications. I chose to do the HLA because of the opportunity to gain extra work experience every week alongside your study. This experience can often reinforce your passion for the area you wish to work in, therefore creating a positive approach towards your study and increasing levels of motivation. Many university students do not have this and can often spend many years and large amounts of money gaining a qualification to then discover, they do not enjoy the work.
