Becky Daniels, 28 from Newcastle upon Tyne, had always
wanted to become a nurse. After leaving school with no formal
qualifications however, and having a family at a young age, she did not
have the necessary qualifications to apply for university. Despite this
setback, Becky remained determined to find her dream job, so she signed
up with learndirect.
Becky said:
"I first went to learndirect two years ago to improve my English skills and get onto some courses at my local college. I completed my levels 1 and 2 English qualifications with learndirect which helped to improve both my reading and writing skills, and allowed me to apply to the college courses. At college, I studied psychology, health studies, human biology and an English language course, and I really enjoyed being involved in learning again.
"After completing my college courses, I decided to return to learndirect to get the maths qualifications I needed to apply for a university course in adult nursing. I went back to learndirect because of the really positive experience I'd had there previously. The atmosphere was very relaxed which made it easier to learn.
"I love the style of learndirect. You are able to work at your own pace at a time that suits you, but you always have help and support at hand from the learndirect staff whenever you need it. It's the tutors' support and encouragement that really helps you through the tricky parts of the courses - they motivate you to keep going. I even received one-to-one support with my maths which made a real difference because I'd struggled with maths at school.
"I've now completed my levels 1 and 2 maths with learndirect and I'm currently finishing my ECDL qualification in computing. The qualifications I achieved with learndirect allowed me to apply for a place at Northumbria University on their adult nursing course and I'm due to start the course this September. I'm so excited about starting my university course and my confidence in my own abilities has grown enormously since going to learndirect. I'm also now able to help my two children, Amy who is 11 and Robert who is 6, with their schoolwork which is a great feeling.
"I was delighted to be named the winner of the Progression Award at the learndirect Achievement Awards as it made me realise just how much I have already achieved and I can't wait to continue my learning at university."