Access
to HE courses are designed for people who would like to study at university but
who left school without the usual qualifications, such as A levels.
Successful careers
Yvonne Brissett
Dr Stuart Prior
Linda White
Albert Phipps
Ian Webber
Gabrielle
Holmes
Dr Erik Johansson Cox
Nneka Akudolu
Susan Nelson
Scott Ellis
Sue Long
Current degree students
Current Access to HE students
Ian Webber
Ian worked as a restaurant manager for a fast food chain before he enrolled on the Access to HE course. He is now a primary school teacher.
1998: Access to Health Careers, Sutton Coldfield College
2001: BA (Hons) Sports, Physical Education and Community Studies, University
of Birmingham
2002: Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), University of Birmingham
2007: Teacher at Coppice Primary School, Sutton Coldfields
When I left school, I'd always planned to go on to further study but with one thing or another life somehow just took over. In the back of my mind I think I'd always wanted to be a teacher. Later, I coached a basketball team and this made me realise that I really enjoyed teaching kids.
I was 32 years old and working as a restaurant manager when I decided to enrol on the Access to HE course. I attended an open day at Sutton Coldfield College and met some former students who told me how the course worked and how it had helped them.
To become a teacher, I needed GCSEs in English and Maths. Fortunately, I could do these as part of the Access to HE course. I took the part-time option so I could continue to support my wife and our one-yearold son. I found jobs that I could fit around my course.
At times, I did find it difficult to get to classes on time - I was juggling three different jobs (milkman, running a concession stand and a nightclub doorman), but the tutors understood the situation and my wife gave me a lot of support. I guess I became highly disciplined: I wanted to succeed and so I just kept at it.
The Access to HE course set me up really well for study on my degree at the University of Birmingham. It's a funny thing, but once you've got through the Access to HE course, you find you can achieve anything - because you've already learnt how to study.