Learners' stories

A career in the Arts

Kay Monaghan was between jobs when she came across Lambeth's Adult Learning Service brochure, so she decided to see if there was a course that she could study whilst looking for work. Kay had always been interested in art, and had studied an art diploma when she was younger. She enrolled on an art course at the Adare Centre, and hasn't looked back.

After completing the course in art appreciation and attending art workshops, Kay began painting in her own time. She eventually got a job at the National Gallery, where she has been working for almost a year.

Kay is really enjoying her job, and hopes to combine working with studying for a degree in art history:

"The people at Lambeth Adult Learning Service helped me get my dream job, and inspired me to get back into art."

Reaching your potential through volunteering and training

Tracey Savage had been out of work for a long time. Following a breakdown brought on by alcoholism, Tracey began to rebuild her life through rehabilitation and support from a community therapy group. She began to volunteer at Spires, a centre for homeless and disadvantaged people in South London.

"I had lost everything – my family, my job. I needed to re-enter the world and Spires was my starting point."

After volunteering for a little while, Tracey enrolled on a 16 week volunteer training programme. The programme helped her to build her confidence and develop her skills, and she is now a learning support mentor at Spires. Tracey is looking to take more courses and wants to develop a career in teaching and training.

Adult learning has been a really positive experience for Tracey, and she believes other people could benefit too:

"Some people might be worried that they don't have the basic skills to get back into education, but there is so much support now that anyone can do it. It doesn’t have to be daunting, and it's so rewarding."

Turning floristry for fun into a business

Janet Edwards decided she wanted to do something fun with her evenings, so she enrolled on a course in flower arranging run by Lambeth College at the Adare Centre in Streatham.

"I wanted to do something as an evening class, more for a hobby than anything else. My tutor was great, she made you feel really good about the work you were doing."

Following her course at the Adare Centre, Janet enrolled on a City and Guilds course at Southwark College. She gained a string of qualifications and opened a flower stall at Elephant and Castle market. She now has her own floristry business, Ebony Petalz, on South Norwood High Street. Janet recently received the Greater London Enterprise Business Award.

Managing your money

With our economy going through tough times, managing money seems to be the hot topic on everyone’s lips at the moment. But it’s not only politicians and bankers who need to know how to keep an eye on the pennies.

At Stockwell Community Resource Centre, learners have been discovering how useful it can be to get practical tips on managing household and personal finances.

For Mohamed Khan, the skills he has learnt through the Managing your money course at Stockwell have been invaluable:

"I'm learning things I didn't know before, gaining skills to handle money and learning how to spend it carefully."

Dena Abdul Rahim is pleased that she completed the course so that she can pass on her knowledge to her children.

"I have learnt so much…I can teach my children about money and help them to save."

Silver surfing keeps you on your toes

After retiring, Julie Glaser wanted to find something to keep her grey cells active. She visited her local community centre, Stockwell Community Resource Centre, to find out what they had on offer.

"I chose the IT course because it suited me in terms of time. I just wanted to do something a bit different – not because I had to, but because I wanted to."

Julie says having a good teacher helped her to settle in to the course, and as the course is for adult learners she has not found it intimidating.

"I've certainly enjoyed it and definitely think it's a good idea for people to see what’s on offer."