Second Chances for Adults: Your guide to all kinds of education and training opportunities 1978–80

233 Pages·1979·29.454 MB·English

by  Andrew Pates, Martin Good (auth.)

Second Chances for Adults
We have written this book in response to the question
from many of our students "What else can I do?" It is
dedicated to them for the inspiration they have given
us and for their help with writing it.
Second Chances for Adults
Your guide to all kinds of education
and training opportunities 1978-80
ANDREW PATES and MARTIN GOOD
M
Andrew Pates and Martin Good 1979
Softcover reprint ofthe hardcover 1st edition 1979978-0-333-26251-1
All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form
or by any means, without perrnission.
First published 1979 by
THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD
London and Basingstoke
Associated companies in Delhi Dublin
Hong Kong Johannesburg Lagos Melboume
New York Singapore and Tokyo
British Ubrary Cataloguing in Publication Data
Pates, Andrew
Second chances for adults.
1. Adult education - Great Britain - Handbooks,
manuals, etc.
I. Title 11. Good, Martin
374.9'41 LC5256.G7
ISBN 978-1-349-81426-8 ISBN 978-1-349-81424-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-81424-4
This book is sold subject to the standard conditions
of the Net Book Agreement.
Contents
Page
Preface vii
Acknowledgments viii
1. ABOur THE BOOK
Introduction 1
IfYou Don't Know What You Want, Start Here ... 4
2. WHY EDUCATION?
What Can Yo u Get Out of It? 7
Qualifications 9
3. PROVIDERS
About Colleges 19
Further Education - As It Is 25
Further Education - The New Adult Look 34
Seven Residential Colleges 51
Getting a Degree - Higher Education 55
The Open University 71
Government Training - TOPS 79
Basics 92
Radio and TV 103
Learning by Post 109
Something to Do Part-Time 115
TheWEA 121
Training for Voluntary Work 124
Trade Union Education 126
Training at Work 128
The Private Sector 131
4. USERS
Studying 135
Do it Yourself 140
Studying With Children 145
Age 146
Women 150
Race 153
Travellers 160
In Prison and Afterwards 161
Handicapped 163
Career Change - Some Brief Notes 170
S. MONEY 171
6. MORE INFORMATION
Educational Advice 181
Useful Organisations 189
Booklist 193
Jargon and Initials Explained 195
Late News 198
Index 199
Preface
Once upon a time, 'education' was a specialised activity focussed upon
children and a minority of carefully selected adults. Now, in some form,
education in Britain is being offered to all. Tbe revolution has occurred
so recently that many individuals have not been able to acquire the skills
that are needed to make use of the opportunities offered.
This book is an attempt to put more reality behind the rhetoric of those
who talk ab out 'adult' and 'continuing' education.
Second Chances for Adults enables you to open doors in the wide range
of conventional colleges and courses that exist. It also assisti you to gain
access to the amazing variety of new agencies that have emerged in recent
years.
Above all the authors accept the view that individuals should be given
the chance to choose the kind of lives that they would like to lead.
Education is not merely a commodity to be dispensed by thosewith
'approved' qualifications. It is the personal right of anyone who wants
to leam.
This lucid and practical books is about the ways in which you can exercise
that right.
JAMES F. PORTER
Acknowledgements
We should like to thank the many people who have helped us in the
writing of Second Chances for Adults.
In particular
*
Our colleagues in the Bedfordshire Adult Education Service, Stephen
Macdonald and Rachel Jenkins, for their view of adult education.
*
The students we have quoted (who are all real people).
*
Cella Hall, Sonia Bonfield and Sue Beadle for their patience and com
petence in typing endless drafts of the manuscript.
*
The Training Services Division for spending a lot of time compiling
answers to our questions.
*
The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (and especially Mary
Lawson) for help with information.
*
Dorothy Eagleson, of the Educational Guidance Service for Adults
Belfast, for help in checking our information on Northern Ireland.
*
A large number of people and organisations who have talked to us
and given us information and in particular:
Adult literacy Support Services Fund
National Bureau for Handicapped Students
J oe Benjamin ( of North East l.ondon Polytechnic)
British Broadcasting Corporation
British Councll
Commission for Racial Equality
Councll for the Accreditation of Correspondence Colleges
Councll for National Academic Awards
Dereck Crossland and Mike l.eese (of Nelson and Colne College)
Equal Opportunities Commission
Independent Broadcasting Authority
Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation
National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education
National Centre for Industrial Language Training
National Institute of Adult Education
National Union of Students
Open University
Eric Robinson (of Bradford College)
Harry Sacks (of National Extension College)
Peter Seabourne (of Bulmershe College)
Trades Union Congress
Workers' Educational Association
*
Thanks also to all the people we visited for their kindness and hospit-
ality.
Mistakes and gaps are inevitable in the first edition of a book like this,
especially as it describes a rapidly changing scene. We have tried to check
all our information but any errors are ours alone.
viii
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