National Colleges Week Tuesday, November 10, 2009 - 12:41

National Colleges Week, 9-15 November, is a celebration of the opportunities colleges create for individuals, illustrated through the stories of countless learners that NIACE encounters during Adult Learners' Week each year.

These adults have used learning to take control of their lives and are proof of the positive transformation colleges can make, not only to themselves, but also to those closest to them:

Lee Curry, aged 22, from Gateshead, is profoundly deaf and is missing the tips of his fingers and toes, yet through attending college he fulfilled his dream of working as a decorator.

Lee went to a specialist school, left with five GCSEs and got a job with Gateshead Council. When the funding for his job came to an end after a year, as his nominator, Francis Murphy, said, "Lee decided to better himself and to gain skills at something he always enjoyed doing...using his hands around the house and being productive."

He was nervous about going back into education, but enrolled on to a Level 2 Decorator and Painter course at Newcastle College in September 2007. He progressed onto Level 3, and during last summer, he volunteered to paint and decorate 43 rooms at a residential and support project for homeless young people - which he completed in 15 weeks.

Nicky Jecks, aged 30, from Kettering, left school with few qualifications but four children and thirteen years later she is studying Medicine at Cambridge University.

Nicky started her learning journey by taking A-levels in Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Sociology and was awarded with a Student of the Year award by Tresham College. She consistently achieved high grades and scored 100 per cent in four of her papers despite having to unexpectedly deliver her fourth child alone at home during her studies.

Nicky said:

"I returned to education thinking that I was too old to embark on a change of career, but since [then] I have rediscovered a delight in learning...Learning has afforded me the opportunity to change my life by offering my family a bright future."

Darren Bailey, aged 33, from Bolton, had a difficult past until brushing up on his basic skills led to a job as an IT Network Officer.

Darren got bored easily at school, and was expelled at 16 with no qualifications, he had no aspirations and found it difficult to keep a job. But when Darren began learning through an entry level IT course he found out he had a talent for it. Now, two years later, he has gained 15 qualifications and has found a job that he enjoys as an IT Network Officer at Lancaster and Morecambe College.

Darren said:

"To me learning is the means to major life changes; I am still keen to learn and will continue to take up all opportunities open to me."

Learning has afforded me the opportunity to change my life by offering my family a bright future.

Nicky Jecks

Paul Howard North, aged 62, from Leeds, took his enthusiasm for art to a new level and went from fork-lift truck driver to professional artist.

Paul always had a passion for art and when he was made redundant in 1997, he decided to take his passion one step further with a formal qualification - a GCSE in Art & Design. He has gone on to gain a whole range of qualifications - including AS and A'Level in Art & Design - and is now in his second year of a Foundation Degree in Art and Design Enterprise at Leeds City College, Park Lane Campus.

Paul said:

"Having a lifelong passion for art, I found that reading books was not enough. I needed to learn new techniques, stimulate my imagination and extend my knowledge...After completing a GCSE, AS and A level in Art, I enrolled on the Foundation Degree course. With academic qualifications, I hope I can move forward as a professional artist."

Alastair Thomson, NIACE Principal Policy Officer, said:

"Colleges are an absolutely central part of a lifelong learning system and NIACE is committed to working with and for them in opening up learning opportunities for adults. National Colleges Week celebrates what is offered by institutions - including everything from basic skills to higher education - helping thousands of adults every year to improve their lives. Many of our yearly Adult Learners' Week award winners illustrate how colleges helped them to achieve their vocational goals, develop their academic potential and pursue the joy of learning for its own sake."