Tutor Case Study: Stuart Nickson

At The Manchester College, our tutors are experts across a broad range of specialisms... We sat down with Stuart Nickson, Sport and Public Services Department Tutor at our Nicholls campus to discuss his role at the College.

Name: Stuart Nickson
Role: Teaching and Coaching within Sport and Public Services subject areas
Qualification: BTEC Sport Science Level 3 Extended Diploma

What was life like before becoming a tutor at The Manchester College?

"I have previously held the position of College Academy Manager of the TMC Category 1 team, which is part of The British College Schools League.

"I started my professional coaching career working closely with Bury Football Academy full-time but I spent six years at Manchester City Football Club working part time in their elite set up. I managed the under 7 team, and also assisted the full-time academy coaches with the higher youth development phase. "

Tell us about your time at Everton Football Club. What was your role and how did you get into that?

"After having a successful six years of working with Manchester City, I decided to join Everton FC in November 2018, as it is the club my family and I support. I took the role to support the coaching at Finch Farm training ground and promote the development of Manchester born players with the hope of identifying the best talent and recruiting them to the club."

Why did you change career paths and become a teacher?

"I initially came to the College as a football coach for the Academy teams at Nicholls which then led me to support the footballers in the education side of the programme.

"There are a lot of transferable skills from coaching to teaching such as the planning, delivering and conclusion of all sessions/lessons, managing teams and individuals, and knowing how they best learn."

What is your favourite thing about being a tutor?

"What I love about the College is that we are heavily involved in the lives of inner city kids who may not have had the best start in their lives. With the hard work and commitment from the Sports team, we change people’s perceptions of their own futures."

What’s been the highlight of your career so far?

"I was responsible in designing the training programmes by incorporating; gym sessions, weekly themes to improve players decision making through technical, tactical, physical and psychological sessions, more games to allow students to showcase abilities and position specific sessions for goalkeepers, attackers and defenders."

What’s great about your course?

"My NVQ Activity Leadership Level 2 course offers a work-based portfolio that is easy to manage and organise. It gives a high percentage of practical based learning where you will be out on the pitch with opportunities to work with Premier League coaches. You will get personalised work experience with real exit routes into the sports industry."

What would your advice be to students starting College in September?

"Take responsibility for your own learning with the guidance of the specialist sport staff around you. Be sure you apply for a sports course because you want to delve into the sport industry as a job role and not because you just like playing sport as a hobby."

If you’re interested in a course in Sports Education or Public Services, we have Open Day events on 9 July at our Nicholls and Northenden campuses.

Alternatively take a look at our sports course page.