A Bulgarian student has been travelling thousands of miles between home and his Nantwich college in a bid to achieve his dream qualification.
And trainee greenkeeper Hristo Iliev’s monthly commute to Reaseheath College is paying dividends.
Hristo, 24, works at Porto Carras golf resort in Northern Greece but is studying at Reaseheath during the less busy winter months.
He is aiming to gain a Level 2 Work Based Diploma in Sports Turf Management – an award recognised European-wide.
Reaseheath’s sports turf department has strong international links and a history of attracting students from other countries.
Another Bulgarian greenkeeper, Georgi Farfarov, qualified at the college a couple of years ago.
Hristo, who is funding his training himself, said: “Learning in an academic environment is very different to learning on the job because you start to appreciate the science behind tasks.
“You realise you are not just cutting grass to keep the course tidy, but to achieve a surface which is suitable for both the ground conditions and the level of use.
“Then there are other areas of study, such as safety at work. All that knowledge made a huge difference, even after the first module.”
Tutor Gareth Phillips said: “We have worked with him to tailor a programme which suits his current commitments and the training is proving very successful.”
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