Jill joined West Suffolk College in the 1970s, undertaking a one-year intensive secretarial course. Her involvement with the College continued with an evening class and being the partner of a Chair of Governors. She fondly recalls the staff who supported her, the skills that she learnt that shaped her future career, and the Falcon pub at lunchtime!
What made you join Eastern Education Group?
I was a student in 1977/78, taking a one-year secretarial course at the West Suffolk College of Further Education, as it was called then. The course led to the London Chamber of Commerce Junior Secretarial Certificate, and to qualify we had to take Royal Society of Arts exams. The course also included subjects such as business studies, and on some Friday afternoons we were taken upstairs to the top floor hairdressing and beauty salon (of what is now Suffolk House) to learn some tips from the very glamorous tutor. She was nicknamed ‘Margot’ but I’m pretty sure that wasn’t her real name. I think ‘Margot’ referred to the elegant character in the Good Life TV series. As well as making us highly employable office workers, the message was that we had to be presentable too! We learned to type on heavy, manual machines and there weren’t any free periods, as we were on an intensive learning course and seemed to be permanently taking exams. Much later I took adult classes in art and Spanish when I was working.
I fluffed my A-levels and so missed the chance to go to university at 18 (I eventually did get a degree, studying part-time over five years some 20 years later at the University of East Anglia). I signed up for the secretarial course to acquire some skills and to think about what to do next.
Do you have any special memories from your time with us?
Coming from school, it was a shock to be at college 9am to 5pm, five days a week. I got a lift into Bury every day with my dad who worked in Cotton Lane and, with a friend who was also on the course, walked or ran (depending on how late we were) up to the College, usually eating toast as we went. At lunchtimes, a group of the us in the class usually went over to the Falcon pub across the road with our new friends from the business studies course (boys!), where we could just about afford half a lager and a filled roll. I’m not sure if the lager helped our typing and shorthand speeds. I wouldn’t recommend it now!
Are there any family members who have connections to EEG?
My parents, long since gone, enjoyed many adult classes, such as bridge. My husband, Richard Carter, was a Governor at the College and later Chairman, which meant I visited with him to see events such as the end of year art shows, dramatic productions and dinners. The place was vastly different from the single 1960s building I first knew!
What did you go onto to do after College?
I’m retired now but the whole of my working life was made easier by the shorthand and typing skills I learned at the College. Being able to touch type is a skill I’ve used almost every day over the past nearly 50 years! After I left the College, I became a trainee journalist with The East Anglian Daily Times and worked at various branch offices across Suffolk before joining the team in Ipswich, which designed and edited the pages. Following that my husband and I (who I met at the newspaper) ran our own public relations and graphic design business – producing magazines, brochures, annual reports etc. I also acted as the external press officer for most of the NHS trusts across the Eastern region. My one-year post-A-level course was also valuable as it was important ‘growing up’ time.
Is there a message you would like to share as we celebrate our 100 years of history?
There will be so many people in West Suffolk who, like me, gained skills to set them on their way, or have continued to learn in subsequent years. We are very lucky to have the College and I’m proud to see how it goes from strength to strength.
Lastly, do you have any advice for future students and staff at EEG?
Enjoy your time, embrace all that the College offers – and work hard! You won’t regret it.
