BA Integrated Working with Children and Families graduate, Hayley Wilkins, shares her learner journey to and through Higher Education at the University of Worcester.
“The decision to get back into education was not made lightly for me. I had been working full time as a nursery practitioner for nearly 10 years and had climbed as far up that ladder as possible. I wanted to do more, but knew I needed better qualifications and knowledge. Once I had been accepted onto the Foundation Degree in Early Years, I couldn’t wait to begin learning again but I was extremely nervous and didn’t know what to expect. I thought I would be the oldest in a class full of 18 year olds, but I fit right in. Our group had ages ranging from 19 all the way to mid 50’s. We were all in the same boat; we all wanted to better ourselves in our careers, just a little later in life.
The course was challenging at times, but because we all came from childcare related backgrounds, it wasn’t anything new, just much more in depth. The course itself was really interesting and I have found that I used the knowledge gained in my everyday work life. Once I had finished the foundation degree, I chose to do the Top up degree in Integrated Working with Children and Families. This course was difficult at times, but my tutors were always there to help and offer support, not just with the assignments, but with mental health and any struggles or stress I was dealing with, which was very helpful as I was also working full time and planning my wedding!
If anyone is struggling to make the decision to start at university as a mature student or cannot decide on a particular course, my advice would be to speak to a tutor or other students. At times, over the last few years at university, I considered giving up as I was really struggling to juggle everything going on. However, after speaking to my Personal Academic Tutor (and crying at her) I am so glad that I stuck to it and followed it though. I am so proud of myself for completing these courses and I am excited for the next stage of my life.”
If you would like to find out more about the courses studied, visit our webpages: https://www.worcester.ac.uk/courses/early-years-0-8-foundation-degree-flexible-distributed-learning-pathway and https://www.worcester.ac.uk/courses/integrated-working-with-children-families-ba-hons-top-up-degree