University of East London Homepage

It’s never too late to learn! All welcome to UEL Adult Learners’ Week events in Newham, 12-19 May

Friday 11 May 2007

Thinking of university but concerned about age as a barrier? The University of East London (UEL) is running a series of events to celebrate this year’s Adult Learners' Week from 12-19 May.

More than half of UEL’s 20,000 students are over 21 at point of entry. The advent of more flexible work patterns, more women going into work, and more people retraining or changing careers during the course of their working lives have all contributed to a big increase in mature and part-time degree studies.

On Wednesday 23 May, Newham residents can discover more about exciting opportunities at UEL by visiting special Information and Advice stands at Stratford and Beckton community libraries from 10am-12pm. For anyone interested in postgraduate study, a coffee morning will also take place at the Learning Advice Centre at UEL’s Romford Road Campus in Stratford from 9.30am-1pm.

Adult Learners' Week is co-ordinated by NIACE, the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, and aims to celebrate, promote and advance all forms of adult learning. After a nationwide search in 2005, UEL graduate Bernard Herzberg (97) was officially awarded NIACE’s title of England’s Oldest Learner at a ceremony held at UEL’s Docklands Campus.

Julie Walker, Information, Advice and Guidance Co-ordinator at UEL, said: “As Bernard shows, it’s definitely never too late to learn! All our students are valued for their own life experiences, and academic credit rating is often given for previous qualifications or other relevant experiences before the course even begins.

“For mature students, part-time study can often be the key to success. At UEL, personal tutors can help students plan effectively and realistically, and many of our programmes offer evening tuition to allow students to continue working full-time.

“We understand that it can seem daunting to return to education after years at work or at home, but we are also confident that, for many people, it can be the start of a very valuable experience and the key to a dream career.”

UEL Extra, a new unit aimed at developing and delivering the university's part-time programmes, will be launched at this summer’s UEL Open Day, to be held at the Docklands and Stratford campuses on Saturday 16 June.

UEL has recently expanded its part-time provision and now offers a wide range of degrees with flexible study options designed to suit individual needs. UEL's Skillzone also runs the popular New Beginnings 2 access course, allowing people who have been out of education for a considerable time to develop the confidence and skills necessary for success at university level.

As part of Adult Learner’s Week, UEL will also be holding a special ‘Overseas Qualifications Day’ from 11am-5pm at the Learning and Work Advice Centre in Vicarage Field Shopping Centre, Barking, on Saturday 19 May.

From Monday 14 to Saturday 19 May, a UEL Information & Advice stand will be available outside Dagenham’s on the 3rd floor of Ilford Exchange Shopping Centre from 12-6pm each day.

The Information, Advice & Guidance service at the University of East London is available throughout the year on a drop-in and appointment basis. To find out more, call 0208 223 4354 or email advisors@uel.ac.uk.

Newham residents who have recently succeeded as mature students at UEL include:

Debra Chidakwa (40), of Manor Park, graduated this year from her BA (Hons) degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice at UEL. Debra has recently published her second book, This is my story and this is my song, which details the terrible experiences she suffered both as a child in Zimbabwe and a refugee in the UK.

Debra said: “Studying at UEL has helped me gain a lot of confidence and see things in a wider perspective. On the Criminology and Criminal Justice programme, we studied everything from youth justice to international terrorism. We explored the social history of crime and the law, and were inspired to think globally and understand how things happen in society.

“There was also a very supportive environment among staff and fellow students - each of us was assigned a personal tutor who was there to support and advise us on issues relating to our studies and sometimes beyond!”

Lalbai Hirani (42), of Forest Gate, successfully completed her BA (Hons) degree in Education and Community Studies with ICT at UEL in 2006. Lalbai said: “I wanted to show my children that it’s never too late to study, so I’m really pleased to have achieved this degree. I’ve got a family and suffer from a disability, but if you’re determined to succeed you definitely can.”

Francis Latzoo (48), of Forest Gate, began his BA (Hons) degree in Health Service Management at UEL in February 2005. Francis had been working as a housekeeping supervisor in a London hotel before deciding to change direction.

Francis said: “I saw a bendy bus advertising UEL and their opportunities to start in February, so I decided to come in and have a look round. I had a chat with one of the course tutors, who introduced me to some of the other lecturers and really raised my interests, especially as UEL is so close to home.

“I’m really enjoying my time at UEL; the facilities are great and it’s such a wonderfully friendly and diverse environment. Even though I started later than most of the other students, it only took me a couple of weeks to settle in and make friends.”

Lorna Hughes (42), of West Silvertown, graduated from UEL in 2005 with a first-class BA (Hons) degree in Education and Community Studies. Lorna was also awarded the Guild of Master Educators’ Prize for Academic Achievement, and now works as Principal Officer for Consultation and Involvement at the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Lorna said: “Having left school at sixteen, I hadn’t really fulfilled my potential, and, as a full-time mum of three, I felt an increasing desire to be the best possible role model my children could have.

“I decided to contact UEL’s Widening Participation Unit and was advised to do a short course called New Beginnings 2 to provide a better idea of whether higher education was really for me. I soon decided it was and decided to apply for a full degree.

“Life at UEL was very special. I really enjoyed volunteering as a mentor to new students, and loved studying so much that my bag’s still packed full of books. Graduation was amazing; there are still times when I sit back and happily think to myself: Lorna Hughes, First-class Honours – Wow!”

Ends/.

For details and pictures contact Patrick Wilson: 020 8223 2061 or 07951 797 975

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

Information for screenreader users:

For a general description of these pages and an explanation of how they should work with screenreading equipment please follow this link: Link to general description

For further information on this web site’s accessibility features please follow this link: Link to accessibility information