A CLASSICALLY-trained musician who has played with orchestras across the UK is now directing students at an East Lancashire college.

Newly-appointed director of skills and academic studies at Blackburn College, Jess Criswell performed with the Hallé Orchestra, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra before she joined the teaching profession.

After a decade playing the viola professionally Jess, 46, decided to retrain as an upholsterer to fit her work around her young family.

But then her career took another twist when she fell into teaching.

The mum-of-two was asked by the college she studied in, South Trafford, if she could become an upholstery teacher due to a shortage of lecturers.

She said: “I never thought about becoming a teacher but when I started I thoroughly enjoyed it.

“Everything I do and we do at the college is about enhancing the student experience, whether that’s the buildings or the students, because they need to be invigorate and inspired.”

Jess said: “I have had three careers. I trained as a classical musician at the Royal College of Music in London from 18 and lived in London for six years.

“I then got a job with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and I met my husband, who was also played the viola.

“Ten years later it was too very difficult having two musicians and a family, so I retrained at college.

“I liked working with my hands and decided to learn how to become an upholsterer.

“I continued gigging as a musician while I was a part-time student and finished my training three years later.

“I had my own workshop. It was hard work and I was busy but then I was asked to come back to the college as a tutor of upholstery.”

In 2000, Manchester-based Jess secured a job in at Blackburn College within the creative arts department.

She said: “I was a part-time hourly-paid tutor doing four to six hours a week.”

After working her way up through the ranks, Jess is now responsible for five further education curriculum centres and around 3,500 full-time students, applications, the college’s international provision and much more.

She said: “It’s a big remit but everything I do and everything we do is about the student experience.”

Jess said: ”It is important in this day and age to have a creative approach. I come from a creative background because of my music. Being from a creative background, you do approach things in an unusual way.

“I have enjoyed not doing things by convention. It has made me innovative and now, with my new job, it makes me come up with ideas that might I not have otherwise.

“It is a crazy direction I have taken but I think it has stood me in good stead.

“It has given me a different way of looking at solutions to problems, the problems themselves and coming up with new ideas. We had a leaving do when I left as head of the centre for business, IT and technology, and some staff weren’t aware of my background.

“It is good to inspire other people.”