Richard D’Amelio stands in front of Bishop Grosseteste University.

What a difference a year makes

14 July 2016

What a difference a year made to Richard D’Amelio who enrolled on an Access to HE Diploma at North Notts College to study Social Sciences, Teaching and Humanities. Until this time he had believed the only route to Higher Education was through A-Levels. “How wrong was I.” said Richard.

After being made redundant at 39 Richard decided the time was right for a change in career. He had the usual worries about how he would fit everything in, being a single parent of six children, school governor, parish councillor and find time to study was no mean feat. However any fears he had were quickly allayed when he got his first assignment back graded at distinction level.

That was over a year ago and Richard completed his studies with straight distinctions, I am elated I am finally going to University. “I would thoroughly recommend this route to Higher Education for anyone with a busy lifestyle and a passion for personal adventure. Most importantly enjoy the experience of the Access course and the journey of self-discovery. It is extremely rewarding and will be over before you know it.”

Now is the ideal time to look at your options whether you wish to improve your job prospects, develop a new career path, retrain for a new job or even consider going onto university. Want a brighter future then you need to start believing it can happen and invest in you.

North Notts College offers a wide range of courses for adults across all levels from introductory part-time and short course through to professional qualification and Higher Education including Degrees. Our Access to HE Diploma courses are ideal for preparing you for university and will give you the confidence knowledge and academic skills required to be successful in your chosen path.

If unsure of your next move after a break in studying we have qualified career advisers who can help you make the right choice for you and advise on the right steps to take to get you to your chosen career.

We also have different options available to try and reduce any financial barriers to studying such as free courses if your household income is below £26,000 and you have no formal qualifications, also if you are 19-23 and haven’t completed a full Level 2 or Level 3 qualification you could study for free. There are also Advanced Learning Loans available or you can spread your payments by instalments, feel free to contact the college if you wish to discuss any of these options on 01909 504500.

HNC in Advanced Practice in Work with Children and Families is another popular part-time adult course which has good grounding for childcare environments with essential work placements, an ideal opening for employment. Huda Quffah was a successful candidate for this after gaining employment at a local primary school in a teaching assistant role after having a work placement there.

Huda had been a head teacher at a nursery school in Jordan for five years before coming to England and after bringing up her children she decided to get back onto the career ladder and a childcare course seemed the obvious choice with her previous experience.

“I have loved my time at North Notts College and enjoyed learning and studying there, everyone is so friendly and helpful.” commented Huda. “I would recommend anyone to broaden their horizons and go for your dreams, anything is achievable with hard work and belief in yourself.

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