My life started when I went to college'
Adult learning can take many forms, from studying an Open University degree or taking a night course to pursuing a first-aid qualification. But, as the four people below demonstrate, whatever the final outcome, gaining a new qualification can often be a life-changing experience.
Building a business
When Roy Steggles left school at 16 in the 1960s his only qualification was a cycling proficiency certificate. He held down jobs in factories, the army and lorry driving, but because of his school record he considered himself a "dunce", and for many years was not interested in learning.
However, when he started breeding dogs he took a short course in animal first-aid at Norton Radstock College. This led to volunteering, a job with the PDSA and a course in animal nursing. Not only did Roy find studying easier than expected, he was able to communicate with a wider range of people and lost his lifelong stutter. His commitment and the way in which he became a role model for younger students won him a south-west learner of the year award in 2008. "This had a profound effect on me," he says. "It came at the point where it confirmed all the positives and justified all the efforts of the past two years. And it was recognition for all those who helped – including my family, Norton Radstock College and the PDSA."
Now in his 60s, he runs his own animal welfare centre, managing the government regulations, finance and IT as well as the animal care, a position he would never have achieved without learning in later life.
A desire to be a better dad
Declan MacIntyre has persuaded many of his colleagues into learning because, as a trade union negotiator who had to confront his own dyslexia and ask for help, he is a role model with whom they can readily identify.
But what pushed him to take the first step was his desire to be a better dad by reading with his son. Having achieved this, he felt able to go on to other courses and become a union learning representative. Although he left school with only a handful of CSEs, he has since completed many courses including a City and Guilds and is now aiming for an OU degree.
Learning has not only improved his own job prospects and enabled him to help others, it has also given him confidence and skills in many other areas – from supporting his children at school, to coping with challenging circumstances, to getting a better deal on car insurance. "The gift I've got now, the skills that have been given to me – I've got that for the rest of my life, for both my sons' benefit – it's something I can't lose, I've got it now. That's why my whole life has improved, in every aspect without any shadow of a doubt."
Pursuing a new career
Christine Townsley has always been a resourceful person, sometimes holding down three part-time jobs at once to support her children, but having left school at 14 with no qualifications, she thought she would never achieve more than the type of jobs she was doing in factories or serving in shops or garages.
But then she and her husband were made redundant and he saw a leaflet at the jobcentre for a course in customer care. Christine, then in her late forties, was so terrified of going to college that she was only prepared to try it for a day – but that was enough to get her hooked. She went from one course to another and won the adult learners' award in 2002. Learning not only gave her the skills to do more rewarding jobs but also the confidence to apply and to perform well in interviews. Since then she has worked in offices, run her own successful cafe business with her husband, and is involved in campaigning on local issues with the parish council.
Her newfound confidence has come through learning. "My life really started when I went to college," she says. "After that it was on the up. Round every corner there was something new for me to do."
Staying active
"I think we are becoming recycled teenagers," says Sylvia Wright, reflecting on the impact adult education has had on her life. As the first training officer of the Sheffield Elders' Congress, Sylvia plays a key role in encouraging other members to sign up for the computer training course she started and to go on other courses at Northern College.
She has also interviewed the MP Margaret Hodge on film for the Better Government for Older People group, has been part of a medical research project on nutrition and ageing as well as a volunteer in local council staff training in handling conflict reaction tests. Sylvia is also very active in the Adult School movement, writing handbooks and training others to write.
All this has happened since she won the senior learner of the year award in 1999 on gaining a degree in English literature at the age of 64. After leaving school at 15 with no qualifications, she attended night school while bringing up her family. But, she says, taking a leading role did not come naturally – on her first course she was almost too shy to say her name and job in front of the class.
She puts the change down to the adult education she has experienced, often with her husband. "Life is now exactly as we want it. I think I felt older before I went to college than now [over 25 years on]. Before, you didn't have that excitement when you woke up."