The picture is of Mitcham Station (which is now part of the Croydon Tramlink). It has the curious aspect of looking like a house but is actually an ex British Rail property, part of which used to be a booking office for the Wimbledon to West Croydon Line.
Lifelong Learning - my story - Part 2
I said in the previous part of this epic story how pleased I had been to be given a second chance. However, being given a second chance at University does not mean that you can get a job with the qualification. There have been plenty of employers that have rejected me; also I have read things since I graduated like "Everybody's got degrees now!" I thought that quite comical. As regards an Accounts degree, this has been traditionally regarded as second only in difficulty to a degree in Physics. So I thought it a bit insulting to read all these personnel journals with these gross overestimations inside. In fact, only about 1/5 of the UK population have degrees, despite protestations to the contrary by employers and personnel organisations.
I dont know what it is about the tendency to downgrade people's qualifications; dont we like success in this country or something. It makes me wonder?
Apart from teaching jobs in further education colleges and three years when I managed to get some taxation work, I have mainly been in the voluntary sector doing welfare rights and helping people get the benefits that they were entitled to.
In fact so interested have I beel in this sector, that in 2003 (after having waited another 8 years to do something with my hard fought degree), I applied to the Open University to embark upon an LLB degree. They allowed me full funding for this course, right up until the middle of the W301 course in August 2006, when I decided that I would transfer to the BA(Hons)(Open) degree. And I have to say that I am extremely grateful to the Open University for that further chance.
In the eventuality I have received an Open University Diploma in English Law for the courses I have done in 2003 and 2004. I applied for this in August 2007 and was retrospectively awarded it from 31st December 2004.
Where does my philosophy of "another chance" tie in with what I am saying. Well simply because I was not give a fair crack of the whip with employment since I graduated in 1995 with a BA(Hons) Accounting and was compelled to change direction yet again in 2003. The Open University gave me that chance and hopefully I did not let them down by working hard and obtaining an Open University qualification. Was the HEFCE funding wasted on me; I do not think so. I have been able to contribute to society by doing voluntary work, not the least of which is this campaign to save the HEFCE funding and also hopefully I have been able to repay the University in some small way for what they have given me by sitting on the Regional Committee for the Open University in the South, the Central Consultative Committee, the Senate of the Open University and the Curriculum and Awards Board (2004-2006).
When I hear the government say that they are going to redirect this £100million to the youngsters I cannot say that I regret this, except that we all have things to contribute to this society throughout our lives and we grow and we can experience and give back throughout our lives. Now John Denham and the government are going to take these lifelong learning experiences away from us whilst at the same time vigorously emphasising that he is going to widen participation. This is obviously not the case!
So I would say, sign the petition against the funding cuts, join the facebook group and keep fighting for the right to have lifelong learning and widening participation. Education is not "either or" it is a lifelong process which people have earned the right to have.
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