Through my apprenticeship it helped me develop confidence in my abilities both in the workplace and whilst studying.

I started college later in life, at the age of 24, because I wanted to feel more fulfilled in what I was doing for a living.

Upon researching various options, University Centre Rotherham (UCR) stood out to me, due to its proximity to my home and its intimate and friendly learning environment compared to larger educational institutions in Sheffield.

These small class sizes I knew would - and do - provide such a supportive learning environment for me. This has given me the opportunity to connect with my tutors and receive the best support when needed. In fact, unlike many other universities, I get as much one to one time as I need to ensure I make the most of my course.

Since I completed my PGCE, I started working for the Group in the Schools Liaison Team, going out to promote the Group to schools and Year 9, 10 and 11 learners and using my teaching knowledge to support this. Through this I found out about a new Aviation course the Group was offering and am now teaching aviation and business at the RNN Group.

Making the decision to go back into education can be really hard after a long break, but I think it’s really important for people to realise that it’s never too late to start something new and that there will be support available whether it’s financial or classroom support. 

Karen has come on leaps and bounds during her time studying at the University Centre Rotherham and has just passed her F1 exam with ACCA. This completes her achievement of the ACCA Professional Diploma in Accounting and Business at Level 4.

The course was a very flexible way to study as a distance learning student and be able to have the guidance and feedback provided by the course tutor when help was needed for my understanding of the course.

University Centre Rotherham is known for its fantastic industry-experienced staff. Curriculum Team Leader in Sport, Stuart Prentice, is part of our amazing team who has years of sporting knowledge to share.