Residents in Worcestershire are urged to take advantage of adult learning courses – including free maths and English courses which have supported students to embark on new career paths.
Evesham New College, which is part of college group WCG, is continuing to see positive outcomes from its adult learning courses, including its thriving GCSE maths and English evening courses which are free to adults who do not already have a grade C or 4 in the subjects.
Scott Taylor, aged 45 from Evesham, has spent the majority of his career working in construction, but after sustaining a back injury in 2019 he made the decision to diversify and went on to enrol at the college.
He passed his GCSEs in maths and English and then became a volunteer Teaching Assistant (TA) at the college before securing a permanent teaching position at WCG’s Moreton Morrell College working one day per week, all while continuing his role in construction.
He has now gone on to enrol on a Further Education teaching course and has also joined the Open University, studying a part time degree in maths with aspirations to eventually teach full time.
He said: “I started working in construction when I left school, but it was a sabbatical travelling around New Zealand where I worked as a ski instructor that I realised I enjoyed teaching.
“When I returned to the UK I went back into construction, then after injuring my back in 2019 I knew I’d need to think about different career options long-term but didn’t have any qualifications.
“Going to college as an adult learner is a bit scary at first, but all of the tutors at WCG put you at ease and make everyone relaxed.
“It wasn’t long before I got the bit between my teeth and really began enjoying learning again. It also reminded me just how much I enjoyed teaching.
“Since enrolling at Evesham New College, things have progressed very quickly, and I’ve now made a long-term commitment to studying and I’m on track to become fully qualified to teach maths in the next five years.
“I couldn’t recommend the adult learning courses at WCG enough to anyone thinking of taking the leap back into education.”
Evesham New College runs a variety of adult learning courses in subject areas including maths, English, hair, beauty, carpentry, plumbing, gas, motorcycle maintenance and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), all of which will be showcased at an open evening on Tuesday, June 25 from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.
Marie Deschamps, WCG Subject Lead for GCSE Maths, said: “We understand just how nerve-wracking it can be to sign up to adult learning courses, particularly our GCSE maths and English courses.
“We understand that participants might not have done any studying in a number of years and may be at different stages, but we work with them to knock down any barriers, build up their confidence and develop a solid foundation.
“We don’t look at it as teaching, but as guiding and supporting people on their journey, and while teaching time is just two-and-a-half hours a week for GCSE maths and English, learners have access to a whole host of resources to support them.
“We’d urge anyone who would like to find out more to come along to our open event.”
Places on the adult learning open event can be booked by visiting https://wcg.ac.uk/openevents.
Further information about the courses available can be found at wcg.ac.uk/study