The 7th of November marks the start of Lifelong Learning Week, a national event that aims to celebrate adult learners.

At Bury College, our wide range of adult courses are designed to help develop transferable skills, gain subject knowledge and relevant experience. As a result, many former adult learners have gone on to do amazing things.

Take Nicola Brown as an example. She got back into education by enrolling on the Access to Nursing, Midwifery and Health course and has since progressed to study Midwifery at the University of Salford. Read more: https://burycollege.ac.uk/news/former-access-to-higher-education-student-prepares-for-midwifery-course-at-university-of-salford   

Amy Keogh first arrived at Bury College last year and completed several short-term adult courses including Introduction to Dementia and a Level 1 Award in Applied Science. She is now studying on the Access to Higher Education Nursing Pathway and is applying to study Paediatric Nursing next year. Amy said: “I wanted to change direction in your career. These courses have all been really helpful. I would recommend them to anyone. Once I’ve finished at Bury College, I want to begin training to become a Paediatric Nurse.”

Laura Haslam is on the same course as Amy, she added: "I absolutely love my Access course. The teachers are really supportive and encouraging. They all made me realise that you are never too old to learn and my decision to get back into education has been a great one."

Cheryl Cawley, also a student the Access to Higher Education Nursing Pathway, spoke highly about her tutor Lianne Livesey: “The course is fantastic, I have learnt so much. The broad spectrum of subjects has been amazing. My tutor Lianne is such a lovely person who has supported and helped me so much, I can't thank her enough.”

Lianne Livesey, Team Leader for Access and Education at Bury College, added: “On our Access to Higher Education courses, we love to see adult learners returning to education and thriving on their courses. Once they leave us, it’s always great to see what they achieve. These students are a great advert for the benefits of coming back into education.”

Another good example of an adult learner getting back into education comes from Aimee Leigh Maciver. Aimee, 28, started a level 2 apprenticeship in Childcare back in 2018 and has progressed to be on the verge of completing her level 3. Getting back into education has allowed her to use her passion for childcare and turn it into a rewarding career.

If you’d like to get involved in celebrating all things adult education, click here: https://www.festivaloflearning.org.uk/get-involved/lifelong-learning-week/