Philip Holland is a proud Class of 2018 graduate of the UCOL
Bachelor of Applied Management, majoring in Accounting. Growing up in Masterton, spending time in the family business and down at the beach, Philip relocated to Palmerston North eight years ago with his family, supporting his mother's career in nursing.
"I enjoyed management and leading a team. I had been working as a supervisor for a lolly factory and I really enjoyed seeing the progress of change and leading a team. When I ran out of room to progress, I knew I wanted to develop my leadership skills."
“My mum had done a few papers at UCOL and I felt like it was a superior course to others I had looked at in terms of support and atmosphere. I had heard from so many people what an amazing place this is. What helps was that we got to interact with students and lecturers which engaged us and reinforced learning. I wanted to be here every day.”
“In my first year I decided I wanted to major in accounting, to lead into Chartered Accounting, I see that as being where the responsibility is.” The UCOL Bachelor of Applied Management (Accounting) degree has professional accreditation with Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand (CAANZ) and Certified Practising Accountants Australia (CPA Australia) for students who want to enter the pathway towards becoming a Chartered Accountant or a CPA.
The course helped Philip to enhance those leadership skills and develop them early in his career, even assisting in gaining an internship as part of the final year of his degree, which has led to employment.
“I found out that UCOL could assist me with getting a job through gaining internships. The course provided that extra support working towards real-life outcomes. It’s hands-on, not just essays.”
“I got an internship through MASH Trust who provide support to youth, people with disabilities and addiction by providing housing and other forms of support. I was able to exceed their expectations and even though they had originally not had room to offer me a job, after seeing my work they made room for me as a Business Specialist.”
MASH Trust Business Analyst Jamie Ross is thrilled with the quality of work and the achievements he has seen from Philip.
“[It is] exceptional work that Philip has been completing for us. It is well beyond expected and he sure is a credit to UCOL.”
As of 2022, Philip is working as a Management Accountant at MASH Trust. He is also supervising a UCOL accounting student who is doing their internship there. He sees this as a great way to give back to UCOL.
Philip’s advice to anyone looking at studying at UCOL is to use every moment.
“There’s no point studying and not utilising every piece if information that you get. Go all in, treat it like a 9 to 5, and don’t hold back.”