ASDC graduate interview: Alistair Little

Alistair Little, 27, of FTS Dyers in Langholm, Scotland, is one of the latest graduates of the ASDC course – and proud holder of the discretionary President’s Diploma of Honour for his cohort.

We first talked to him on this blog a few months ago, when he was hard at work studying. Today we meet him again on the other side – as he looks back on what he learned, and what the future holds.

Congratulations on achieving ASDC! So, how did you get into coloration as a career?

I originally left school with ambitions for a career in the armed forces, but they felt I was a bit young and encouraged me to to re-apply in a year or so. My friend James Blackburn – who I still work with and who’s graduated alongside me – managed to get me a job at FTS with him, which was originally on a short-term basis. However, FTS was keen to put me through an apprenticeship when they saw I had an eye for the job, and I’m still here 11 years later!

Tell us about your job today.

I look after and run production and the production team, as well as colour matching, recipe formulation, creating new dyeing processes, quality control and customer contact.

What difference will holding ASDC mean to you?

This professional qualification will mean my knowledge can be trusted by my current employer, as well as any future employers I may have. It’s given me an in-depth understanding of the processes that occur within my work which will benefit my employer in a number of ways.

What was your experience of studying online like?

I enjoyed studying online. I could log on and study any time I wanted, and the video recordings were clear and easy to understand. We were also given transcripts for the videos which I found useful when trying to learn some of the more complicated course material, as I could re-read and put the transcript into my own words to make it more understandable.

How did you feel when you saw your results? And now?

When I got all my results I was incredibly proud of myself. At school I didn’t feel like I really applied myself, which was evident in my grades. For this course I put a lot of time and effort in and to get an overall distinction qualification proved to me what I am capable of.”

What are your future ambitions?

I see my future with FTS dyers.