Learning has never been so much fun

STAR pupil . . . Alan Wilson is in line for an award

Mature students find smart way to success

A PAIR of mature students who faced their fears against the odds have been shortlisted for an award to celebrate their success.

Alan Wilson (56) and Pauline Renshaw (53) are in the running for a learning achievement award after completing Learndirect courses.

Alan enrolled on the course following the death of his son who he looked after for 24 years.

He said: “I found myself in a position where I could start looking for work and wanted a career as a care support worker. I was filling in application forms but not getting anywhere. Someone at the job centre suggested I contact Highway to Opportunities to see what courses they have to offer.

“They helped me with my CV and also enrolled me on a Learndirect numeracy and literacy course.

“Since completing the literacy course I have found a job as a support worker which I have now started.

“Since doing these courses everything seemed to fall into place. I was really surprised how flexible these were.

“You could do them from home if you wanted to and I will definitely carry on even though I now have a job. It’s a great feeling to be shortlisted for an award.”

Pauline was also shortlisted for an outstanding learner award after completing courses in maths, English and IT.

Despite having an accident four years ago which restricted her mobility, Pauline has managed to complete these courses, gaining recognised qualifications and improving her confidence on computers.

She said: “After my accident I found myself out of work and with no qualifications, but joining Learndirect has helped me to focus on learning and forget about my health problems. I’m not afraid of using computers anymore, and hopefully this will help me to get a job.”

Louise Day, team manager at Learndirect said: “These are two inspirational stories with both individuals overcoming their own barriers to progress in learning. The great thing about Learndirect is how flexible it is, you can work at your own pace and doing these courses can make a real difference on your CV if you are looking for work.”

Pauline and Alan will find out if they have won the award later this month.