“It’s never too late to learn” – adult learner encourages others to pursue their ambitions

Ben Broadbent returned to education at the age of 30 to pursue his ambitions of working in the public services industry. 

Before joining the college, Ben described himself as a ‘maths-phobe’, with very little belief in his arithmetic abilities. 

Through hard work, perseverance and support from his tutors during lockdown, his confidence grew, which was Ben’s first step in achieving his goals.

“Most employers look at your maths and English GCSE grades, especially higher paying roles, which require a minimum of grade 4 in both maths and English. 

“I had a hard time in and out of school with both my life and mental health so I never achieved what I wanted when I was younger. 

“As I grew older, I decided I wanted to get a job in security or with the police. I believed I was terrible at maths so it was a huge boost for my self-esteem and confidence when I discovered that I could do it.

In  2019, Ben achieved the Functional Skills grades he required; a grade 4 in maths and a grade 6 in English. This prompted him to go further and progress to GCSEs.

“The GCSE Maths and English courses were free because I got a grade below C in my initial GCSE results which I had undertaken when I was 16. This made me eligible to take the courses completely free of charge. 

“The college did far more than that though, the kindness and patience of the teachers really helped me boost my confidence and reassured me whenever I had doubts in myself.

“The goals they set for me were realistic too and they were always happy to go over topics with students if they ever fell behind. It taught me how important patience is in a teacher.”

Describing his experience at Keighley College, Ben said he would ‘recommend it to anyone’ and that it’s ‘never too late to learn or improve your life’.

“I never felt alienated because I was an adult learner,  I felt supported throughout. The teachers made me realise that I just lacked confidence and needed to learn the fundamentals before getting to GCSE level. Paula Proud’s classes with her assistant teacher Tony, really helped bring out the best in my learning and allowed me to achieve my goals.

Ben is getting closer to becoming a PCSO with West Yorkshire Police, with ambitions of eventually being a police constable.