Tomās Ogilvie

Tomās was in his final year at school in 2015 when he decided to enrol in the Trades Academy Sport & Exercise programme. He was into rugby and sport, and really enjoyed P.E at school, but wasn’t enjoying his other subjects quite so much. He decided to try out the Sport & Exercise Trades Academy programme as he knew it could lead on to further study at NMIT.

Looking back Tomās is really pleased he gave Trades a go. “I was really interested in sport and so enjoyed the Trades programme more than my other school subjects. It was a really practical programme and I liked being able to put the theory we learnt in the classroom into action when we went to the gym. Everything we learnt was applied in a very practical way.”

At the end of his Trades Academy programme, Tomās knew that he wanted to go on and study more in the sport and fitness area. In 2016 he enrolled in the first year of the Diploma in Applied Fitness at NMIT. This went really well and he is now completing the second and final year of the programme. “The tutors are very knowledgeable. We learn about the theory of fitness and training and then get to demonstrate this practically to show that we understand. The tutors all work in the industry, with high-profile athletes, so we know we’re learning from the best”.

As part of his Diploma programme, Tomās works with students in the Trades Academy Sport & Exercise programme, running fitness and training sessions and planning other sports activities during the Friday Trades class time. “This is a great way for me to gain industry experience”.

Tomās is now looking ahead to his options for next year and beyond. He would like to continue his studies and complete a degree in Fitness, and possibly also train to become a P.E teacher. “The great thing is I’ve got lots of options and I get to study and have a career in the area I’m passionate about”.