York Learning were delighted to celebrate their student’s successes with a graduation ceremony on Thursday 15th September, honouring the achievements of over 40 students completing their Level 3 and Level 5 Diplomas in subjects such as Health & Social Care, Business Admin, and Childcare; alongside over 60 students who have achieved Level 2, 3 and 4 Counselling qualifications.
The two ceremonies included presentations from Angie Padfield, Head of York Learning, and Curriculum Managers Tracy Gowlett (Work Based Learning) and Anna-Marie Gillman (Counselling). We also heard from previous learners, David John Cooke, Alison Gilbert, and Sinead Tingley, who has also taught for York Learning’s Counselling programme and is now director of Serendipity Counselling in York.
It was a pleasure to hear about their learning journeys and the students that attended on the evening certainly found it inspiring to hear about the opportunities that are open to them once they have qualified.
Representatives from employers whose staff use York Learning’s training services also joined us, including Sarah Rusdale, Joseph Rowntree Trust, and Karen Mawson, York Childcare. They both shared their experiences of the importance of training and upskilling staff to ensure that the services they provide are of the highest quality.
Many of the students receiving these qualifications have not studied since leaving school and are often apprehensive to return to learning. They have all completed their studies alongside work and family life, with the additional challenges presented for this cohort by studying through the course of the Covid pandemic. To achieve these qualifications in such difficult and uncertain times has been an outstanding achievement, and all of them acknowledge the support of friends, family, employers, and colleagues.
The graduation ceremony was a celebration of the student’s belief in themselves and of the faith kept by those closest to them. The students were congratulated on having the courage to commence their studies, and the discipline to carry them through to completion.
The emphasis at York Learning is on making learning accessible, and there is a focus on helping to meet the needs of each individual student. We work to systematically remove the barriers that have prevented students from fulfilling their academic potential and career goals in the past.
It was a wonderful night, with family, friends and employers coming along to celebrate the graduates’ achievements with our York Learning team and their guests. We look forward to being back with another cohort to celebrate in 2023!