Landing some of the top jobs in the business is by no means an easy task, but the students of Motherwell College are defying the odds with more than half of the graduates having secured agency representation as well as a number coveting leading roles.

 
Motherwell graduate, Kate Bracken, beat off dozens of hopefuls to land a part in the BBC's Inspector George Gently starring alongside TV veteran, Martin Shaw. Set in 1966, the popular crime drama series has proved a hit with viewers and is now in its second season.

 
Paul Clark, aka Derek, is the new face of Irn Bru, appearing in their nationwide advertisement campaigns alongside his co-star Jackie. The dynamic duo are now an Internet hit with thousands of visitors on Facebook and almost ten thousand visitors on YouTube.

And that’s not all, twenty-one year old Karen Fishwick made her professional debut on stage in the critically acclaimed production, The Overcoat at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Led by a team of highly skilled practitioners, students in Performing Arts are required to showcase to an invited audience on stage in London's West End and at Glasgow's prestigious Club 29.

 
Gillian Archibald, the Curriculum Leader of the Performing Arts course, said: "Showcasing provides students with a chance to show-off to industry experts all that they can do. Performing in front of an audience is the best test for our aspiring actors and an opportunity to be seen.

 
"A host of students have successfully auditioned for a number of great roles, and to see our graduates go on to succeed is a great credit to College and the hard work of our dedicated lecturers. Our courses are designed to be highly practical and for those looking to take the first step in their career."

 
This news comes on the back of the recent announcement that the College's HNC & HND Music/ Rock and Pop course has been named Scotland's Music Course of the Year at the inaugural Scottish New Music Awards (SNMA).

Motherwell College moved to a new campus at Ravenscraig in July 2009. More than 20,000 students and 500+ staff continue to take advantage of the high quality education programmes the College offers in the new 21^st century £70 million facilities.