Maturity success.
Higher education is not just for school leavers.Redcar and Cleveland College has been particularly successful in attracting more mature students back to learning. We look at two of the success stories.
TAM WILLIAMS visited the UK from Vietnam three years ago and came back to stay. She liked the area and wanted to study for a new career in hairdressing after working in the hotel and restaurant business in her native Hanoi.
Tam, 24, who lives in Redcar with her husband Mal, has achieved success at the College on courses in English and Computing and is currently finishing her NVQ Level 1 in Hairdressing.
Of the course she says it has been "excellent, it helped me improve my English and my confidence. I'm outgoing and not afraid to ask the tutors because they are friendly and helpful in making me get it right".
Tam recently won second prize out of 40 at a competition in Glasgow which involved cutting, colouring and overall styling.
* Seven years ago JAN LANE could not have dreamed that she would be nearing the successful completion of an advanced level two year course in an FE College.
That's because in 1996, Jan had to give up work through the severe progression of the ME illness she began to suffer 11 years ago.
Jan had to give up her job as a social research officer for central government and became housebound for some years.
Jan wanted to do something and reconnect with the outside world and decided to take a Basic Counselling course. But she found it difficult facing people again, with no confidence and very little energy, it was scary coming back to college.
As it happened Jan stayed and progressed through three levels of counselling programmes over four years and has achieved national qualifications in all courses.
 Printer friendly
 Cite/link
 Email
 Feedback
| |
| Title Annotation: | Education |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Evening Gazette (Middlesbrough, England) |
| Date: | May 13, 2003 |
| Words: | 303 |
| Previous Article: | Dreams at end of the Rainbow. |
| Next Article: | Add a new career to the shopping list. |