How Fe colleges act as stepping stones to higher education

David McWilliams (above), aged 18, says he would not have had enough confidence in his abilities to apply direct to university from school, writes Olga Wojtas.

"If I committed myself to a four-year course and then felt I could only go to the level of second year, I'd get no qualifications at the end of it," he says.

Mr McWilliams left school with two D passes in his highers in biology and technical studies. He felt his Glasgow school expected pupils to gain five highers for university entrance, or else to get a job. When he was diagnosed as dyslexic, his best option was reckoned to be manual labouring, he said.

But Mr McWilliams, an amateur radio enthusiast, went on to study mathematics at a summer school at Stow College in Glasgow. He now has a higher national certificate in electrical and electronic engineering from Stow and expects to gain a higher national diploma at the end of this academic year.

"Tutors give me written handouts of any notes on the board, so I don't need to write anything down. I've got a laptop computer from the college and I see the college guidance staff."

He now has offers of places for the third year of Paisley University's BSc course, or the second year of Paisley or Strathclyde University's BEng degrees.

"I'm totally happy with the course at Stow. I'm going to university, but I'm glad I went to college first. I want to learn more and go as far as I can - get a degree and get a good job or run my own business."