Learning for all at Teesside

Higher education isn’t just for 18 – 21 year olds and the University of Teesside is hosting a series of campus tours and evening course information sessions to support Adult Learners Week.

Running from Saturday 21 to Friday 27 May, Adult Learners Week is a nationwide initiative to encourage people aged over 21 to take part in higher education.

Tuesday 24 May is the University’s Find Out More day, when the campus will be open for tours and people will be able to learn about our range of University Certificate in Personal Development (UCPD) courses. UCPDs are short courses in a variety of subjects from computing to creative writing.

To book a place to attend a Find Out More session, call 01642 384277, or email courseinfo@tees.ac.uk

The University’s Course Information Centre (CIC) will also be opening from 5pm – 7pm on Tuesday 24 and Thursday 26 May. A drop-in centre based near the entrance of the Middlesbrough Tower, just off Borough Road, the CIC can provide information about all of the courses (including first and post graduate degrees and the new foundation degrees) on offer at the University of Teesside.

One adult learner who fulfilled a long time personal ambition by returning to education was Carl Rouse.

Carl originally aimed for a History degree at the age of 18, but was forced to shelve this plan after disappointing A level grades. Now, over twenty years later, he has realised his ambition and graduated from the University of Teesside with a First Class BA (Hons) degree in History.

He said: “Getting a First is quite a leap after my A levels! When I got my degree result I felt the greatest sense of personal achievement in my life, that I’d worked towards something and attained it. Coming to University was a very good move.”

After leaving school in Norwich Carl joined the army’s intelligence corps, serving in Britain, Northern Ireland and Germany, and reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant. He followed 12 years of army life by joining Cleveland Police as a Constable. Carl started to think about University study, thanks to encouragement from his partner and a friend.

Carl said: “A friend from the army, who’d gone to University and re-trained as an architect, came to visit one bank holiday and asked if I’d thought about going to University. Then, on the same day, my partner, Hattie Booth, suggested the same thing, so I listened to their advice!

“The History lecturers were excellent, bordering on the outstanding. All of the academic staff knew their subjects in depth and were always approachable if you had any problems. I really enjoyed the range of subjects, from the Italian Renaissance, to the French Revolution and the Cold War period. The latter was of particular interest to me, as I’d lived through this era. When I first joined the army the Cold War was still on-going and I was stationed in Germany when the Berlin Wall came down. The subject was part of my life experience.”

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