Employability at GCU - Jenny Drew

Our #EmployabilityAtGCU campaign aims to highlight the ways the University can help students with accessing a graduate career.

We want current students to be inspired by our alumni - we're proud that 93% of our graduates are in employment or further study, within 15 months of leaving GCU (Graduate Outcomes, HESA, 2022).

People like Jenny Drew, who graduated in 2009 with a BA Honours degree in Fashion Business and went on to found Sew Confident - the only sewing tuition franchise in the UK.

Jenny started her own business in 2012, teaching people to sew in a small studio in Glasgow before opening franchises in Dundee and Chorley. She has also recently upgraded the Glasgow headquarters to a larger studio on Great Western Road to allow her to offer more classes and create more jobs.

Since graduating, she has built a six figure business which has taught more than 10,000 people to sew, knit, embroider, crochet and quilt across the country.

We asked Jenny about her time at GCU, how her course prepared her for the workplace and any advice she had for current students to enhance their skillset and employability whilst studying.

Having studied Fashion Business at GCU, Jenny acquired skills and knowledge about creative design and business that would prepare her for starting her own business after graduation.

She has since found that even classes she struggled with at university such as an Accounting and Finance module has provided her with essential knowledge to owning and growing her own business.

Jenny loves owning a business she is passionate about. She said “no two days are the same” as each day offers opportunities and challenges that bring variety to her working life. She loves her work and finds that the challenges that come with owning her own business exciting.

When asked about any advice she would give to current students, Jenny said: “Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to find a career immediately.

“Just take some time to figure out what you want to do.”

Jenny graduated following a recession, so used her passion and skills to create a job she adores.

For students who are interested in starting their own business, Jenny said: “If you are able to take on that kind of responsibility on your shoulders and you know that everything that happens is your fault, whether it’s good or bad, then it’s the most fun you can ever have!”

Jenny further explains that owning her own business is “a dream and I absolutely love the madness of it!”