2022-2023

It is never too late to pursue your goals, follow your dreams, take a leap, make that big change - Saffron Hardy-Hussain

Following some rather unfortunate personal circumstances, followed by a global pandemic, I was unable to continue with my secondary school education and obtain my A Levels after sitting my GCSEs. Despite attempting to complete them at a distance with the local college, and poor experiences with other, less satisfactory online providers, I could not do so. At 20, still possessing the almost overwhelming ambition I had to attend university as a teenager, I made the decision to explore alternative options that would get me there. I discovered the existence of an Access to HE Diploma in the process, one which would allow me to achieve this long-standing goal so long as I finished this course which, with its 1-year completion timeline compared to A Levels at 2 years, was highly appealing. None of the academic institutions near me, however, offered a course in the Humanities, particularly English Literature, which was the path I wished to pursue. Fortunately, after exhausting all, or what I believed to be all, possibilities, I encountered DistanceLearningCentre.com which has, and I say this with no exaggeration, profoundly changed my life.

The course itself is exceptionally well done. The resources are up to date, with a selection of suggested further reading in each set of materials and assessment briefs, as well as an extensive library to peruse, whilst simultaneously fostering a level of independence through autonomous learning and research that are underdeveloped, or not developed at all, with other preparatory courses or pre-university institutions of education. The flexibility of study, one which does require your adherence to self-directed sessions of learning, but does so on a timeline that suits you and can be completed around other obligations, such as work or family life. Developmental units are undertaken prior to subject specific work with the intention of preparing you for application to, and subsequent enrolment in, university; the correct referencing format and refinement of essay composition are taught, plus the entire UCAS process is explained in detail with slideshow presentations and video tutorials to accompany the information covered in these units. It is my belief that the Access to HE Diploma has, therefore, prepared me for the rigor of university where other areas of schooling have previously not, and that I would not be in the position I am today without DistanceLearningCentre.com.

DistanceLearningCentre.com has provided me with opportunities that I never dreamed I would be afforded, perhaps most notably admittance to my dream university with a place on my dream course, for I exceeded the grade boundaries and that which was asked of me. I am beyond grateful to DistanceLearningCentre.com for helping me to achieve these goals and restoring my belief that I am capable of not only pursuing such heights, but of achieving them too.

It is important to note, however that getting the grades that I have, or feeling as confident in my abilities as I do now, would not have been possible without the guidance of my wonderful tutors whose past, current, and future prospective students, should know how lucky they are, were, and will be, to have had these incredible women, and other brilliant tutors like them, guide them through the DistanceLearningCentre.com process and the Access course itself. From answering any and all questions that I had throughout my studies, regardless of how long they may have been or how seemingly silly they were, to never making me feel as though I was less intelligent or resourceful for needing help or advice. Persistently kind, helpful and encouraging during our interactions, my tutors always provided invaluable feedback that was both constructive and congratulatory for the pieces of work submitted, and ensured that I not only acquired an abundance of knowledge where my subject sets were concerned, but plenty about my own academic capabilities too. Thank you to them, and to the entire DistanceLearningCentre.com team, for everything that they have done for me, and for the standard of support and teaching supplied by them; one which has ensured the acquisition of prospects that I now have.

I could not recommend DistanceLearningCentre.com highly enough. My experience with them has been excellent, changing my life in such an inconceivable way that I will forever think fondly upon my time studying with them. They have proved to me, and I hope to many more people like me, that it is never too late to pursue your goals, follow your dreams, take a leap, make that big change. You won’t regret it! (June 2023)

DistanceLearningCentre.com has reignited my thirst for academic achievement - Giancarlo Bonfanti

After being out of education for a while and in full time work it can be difficult to pursue academic goals and achieve your potential. However, with DistanceLearningCentre.com I was able to achieve my goals, getting into university to study Paramedicine by passing the Access to Paramedic Science Diploma. 

What can I say about the course? Well, it is not only affordable but also flexible to fit around our busy lives. The course itself is dissected into clear and sizable modules of learning, with a developmental phase at the beginning to kick start your brain into simple mathematics and essay writing skills, which will prepare you for the course ahead. All learning materials are given to you on a need-to-know basis which helps you not to become overloaded with irrelevant material, providing simple navigation through the course.

The main asset of this learning platform is not only the plethora of useful tools on the website. But the tutors themselves, who will be with you every step of the way through your academic journey, providing great support, advice and motivation in achieving your goals.  To which I have to say a big thank you to my main tutor.

You won't find a better online learning resource. It's simply money well spent. Providing a great academic foundation to kick start a future career in your desired field. DistanceLearningCentre.com has reignited my thirst for academic achievement. So go for it. It's never too late. You deserve it. (June 2023)

This has been the stepping stone I needed to ensure I could apply for the Physiotherapy Degree Apprenticeship - Jessie Edwards

My career started out in the Navy as a 2004 I always wanted to be a Police Officer, but had a change of heart when a visit to the forces careers office in Brighton led me to apply for the Royal Navy as a survival equipment technician, where I stayed until 2013 - when due to the birth of my second child I felt the time was right to come out of the forces and spend more time with my family.

In 2014, I applied and was successful in obtaining a position as a Healthcare Assistant at the local hospital. Whilst I enjoyed this role, I was intrigued by the Physiotherapy team and applied in 2015 for a role as a Physiotherapy Assistant, for which I was successful. I worked in this role for a number of years, but reached the highest level I could with the qualifications I had.

My thoughts then turned to progressing my academic studies and doing something to help me gain access to a university course. I was keen to be able to progress but knew that due to my time in the forces I did not have the entry requirements for a degree level course.  I contacted ELCAS (Enhanced Learning Credits Administration Service) to ask for advice and guidance. They suggested DistanceLearningCentre.com and the ‘Access to HE Diploma (Allied Health Professions) which I subsequently applied for.

The application process was simple and I was quickly accepted onto the course and given a start date. The initial communication was very good and I felt ready to start my studies alongside my job.

During my course I had many challenges along the way, including Covid. My job role continued through the pandemic due to being in health care and in the Autumn 2020 when I had just started the course, my job role was relocated to Boston and Lincoln, tripling the travel time required to get to and from work and the demands of the job were also incredibly high - I was expected to work long hours and with difficult patients in difficult situations, like so many during the pandemic - but I was managing this, and a family and an access course.

At times I felt the pressure and felt like giving up, during the course I suffered numerous family bereavement. I changed job roles, working in a different hospital, I also found some of my work team (at the time) challenging and unsupportive. I also was dealing with my own child, who was diagnosed in 2010 as having ADHD, and with being off school due to the pandemic was struggling with the lack of routine and focus around his day. All of this made for a really stressful time personally, not only in my working life but also my own personal life. This was starting to take a toll on my own mental health and I was, at times, struggling to get the work completed. However, my tutors from DistanceLearningCentre.com were incredibly supportive, they knew about my challenges and gave me options on how to complete the work in a timeframe that worked (supportive extensions etc).

Moving forward to Summer 2022, and my course was complete. Whilst it took slightly longer than it should I felt proud that I had completed the course and achieved my access course, with distinctions in all possible units. This has been the stepping stone I needed to ensure I could apply for the Physiotherapy Degree Apprenticeship through the trust which I now work for. Whilst at present, they are not recruiting, I am looking out for opportunities and am also considering other options in a similar career area, but perhaps different departments within healthcare.

Whatever option I choose, I know that I got there through the dedication of the tutors and the team at DistanceLearningCentre.com. Thank you all for allowing me the chance to study at degree level. (November 2022)

I would recommend DistanceLearningCentre.com, always, as I believe the structure helps achieve a balance between life and quest for education - Euphemia Ozioko

I had my reservations about online study, because all my educations prior to enrolling on a distance learning course had been through face-to-face interactions. To make matters more complex, I had just moved from Nigeria to the UK with a different educational structural system. I must commend my very first tutor, he did help me settle into the idea of online learning and was always one email or call away whenever I had any clarification or concerns.

My subsequent encounters with other tutors were pleasant, I must admit they can be firm when insisting on the right approach, but I found that to be very helpful at the end, as the retention of knowledge gained is easier. It was a tough journey for me combining my young family and academics but I was able to achieve success with the level of support that was given to me.

I have completed other courses with DistanceLearningCentre.com and have successfully been accepted to the universities that I applied to study nursing. I would recommend DistanceLearningCentre.com, always, as I believe the structure helps achieve a balance between life and quest for education. (November 2022)

I have achieved so much more than I ever thought possible - Joanne Williams

My journey started during lockdown in 2020, as a full-time mum with my youngest daughter being two and having recently started nursery, I found myself with more free time which got me thinking about my future career plans. Becoming a paramedic had always interested me but busy family life and knowing that I would need to gain the right qualifications it felt like there were too many hurdles in the way so until now I had never found the right time to pursue this.

I was so lucky to stumble upon DistanceLearningCentre.com which gave me all the advice I needed and I found that I was able to study online for an Access to Higher Education Diploma in Paramedic Science along with a Maths Functional Skills course which I began in October 2020.

Being a mature student, and never having written an essay before, I felt extremely nervous about studying again but the tutors soon put my mind at ease and I found myself enjoying the course more and more.

I felt that the course was flexible enough for me to study alongside my family, taking study breaks if needed with amazing tutors available to help along the way. I had never been that academic but since realising my future career goals and having something to focus on I have exceeded my personal expectations and have achieved so much more than I ever thought possible.

Not having had any previous experience in healthcare I was advised by my tutor that it would be helpful to gain some voluntary work experience in a care setting. I managed to organise some weekly shifts at a local care home and also volunteered as an Events First Aider with St John's Ambulance. This gave me the confidence I needed when making my application to university and during the interview. Following which I was over the moon to receive to receive a conditional offer!

I feel that the support of the tutors together with the hands-on experience has prepared me well for university and for my future career as a Paramedic. (June 2023)