EDUCAT ION
Undergraduate diploma in Archaeology: Death and the Ancient World (ICE) FIVE COURSES WITH A DIFFERENCE
Painting without boundaries (Hills Road)
Flower arranging: Japanese ikebana (Adult Learn and Train)
Disco dancing (Hills Road)
Eco beeswax wrappers (Adult Learn and Train)
their potential learning barriers,” she says. At Hills Road, meanwhile, a dedicated learning support team provides specialist support to disabled students with learning difficulties and physical disabilities. With providers making it easier than ever before to start learning, the most difficult decision may be which course to opt for. Hills Road could help you see the world differently by learning one of the many languages on offer, including Arabic, French, Italian and Turkish, or help boost your earning power by signing up for courses in website design or running your own business. Or you could simply let the music carry you away with a recreational course in dance (ballroom, Latin or – newest of the lot – disco). Want to develop your ability to think innovatively? (A top skill for the future, according to employers.) How about ICE’s new diploma in creativity? Coaching is also proving extremely popular there, as are courses in international development and international relations. For those seeking to turn an interest into a new career, the silver jewellery course offered by Adult Learn and Train can lead to learners creating their own hallmark and starting a business. “We’ve also had learners who have joined an art class and become inspired to go on to sell their own work, or go on to teach,” says Zoe Sweet. Whoever you are and whatever your current aspirations or previous educational experience, providers in our area are ready to help you. “Often, we see people who are concerned about the future,” says Dr Gazzard. “What we believe we can do is bring the very best of Cambridge to you and do that in a way that’s accessible.”
at other venues, too. Last year just under 4% of last year’s student cohort at Hills Road were aged 70 or over. Unsurprisingly, the need to widen access and tailor courses to an increasingly challenging future is something that adult education providers in our area know all about. Educational offerings are constantly being honed in terms of content, relevance and learner satisfaction. Providers are keen to stress that learning as an adult is a very different experience from when they were little. “What we’re trying to do is be the open university element of Cambridge, so the students get all the quality and resources of Cambridge, but we’re not judging you on your previous education,” stresses Dr Gazzard. ICE is also widening access with financial support, with bursaries that may be available to prospective students who haven’t previously attended university, are on state benefits or where a state pension is their sole form of income. Learners and their needs are at the heart of the process, agrees Zoe Sweet at the Cambridge Academic Partnership. “When considering provision, we look at the location carefully, we try to ensure accessibility is available for all and, wherever possible, free parking is available. We look at the timings of the courses, deliberating the targeted audience and
“We’re seeing the retirement age being extended and people in their 50s and 60s thinking, ‘I’ve paid the mortgage off, perhaps the kids have finished university and now I want to start a business, write my autobiography or change career completely’,” says Dr James Gazzard at ICE. Some learners are contemplating a mid-career reboot of their future lives. “They’re thinking about the 100-year life as well, having to work until they’re 70 or 80,” says Dr Gazzard. Some are also concerned about the impact of Industrial Revolution 4.0, the brave new era of machine learning. Brilliant news if you happen to be a perfectly honed algorithm, slightly less so if you’re one of the carbon life forms that it could displace. In the UK as a whole, the number of younger students is still small (2.6% at Hills Road last year), but it’s likely to increase as growing numbers of 19 and 20 year olds decide against going away to college, either so they can earn money while studying part time, or because of learning disabilities. At the other end of the age spectrum, there are the third-age learners. “They’re incredibly engaged and they often have the time and the money to invest, really exploring new disciplines,” says Dr Gazzard. These motivated students feature
“We try to ensure accessibility is available for all”
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