A number of Gravesend students are taking their next steps into the healthcare profession after successfully completing their Access to Higher Education Nursing and Healthcare Diploma at North Kent College.
Access to Higher Education Diplomas provide a route into university for anyone over the age of 19, who might not have the traditional entry requirements needed.
They also offer a number of benefits such as no tuition fees if you are between the ages of 19 and 23 and have never studied at A Level or above.
The range of courses the students are going on to study shows the value of the Diploma and the varied path a career in nursing and healthcare can offer.
In total 38 students graduated with the Access to Higher Education Diploma earlier this month, and the vast majority will now move on to university with future degree courses including Adult Nursing, Learning Disabilities Nursing, Midwifery, Counselling and Paramedic Science.
Alison Talbot, Head of Curriculum - Access and Science at North Kent College, said: “We would like to congratulate all of this year's cohort; this has been an excellent year and all graduates should be extremely proud of themselves. It is always a difficult and brave decision to return to education and for some this may be after a gap of over 20 years!
“It is fantastic to see so many students progressing to universities across the country onto a variety of HE courses, such as Paramedic Science, Speech and Language therapy, Nursing, Midwifery, Psychology and Counselling and many more, as well as a couple who have secured apprenticeship places.
“We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the best of luck in your future studies and with your careers ahead of you. Well done class of 2023.”
Several of the students also expressed their excitement for the future.
Christine Warnakulasuriya Fernando, who is going on to study Midwifery at Greenwich, said: “The whole experience has been great. I have really enjoyed the year, and there has been so much cooperation and dedication from staff and students. I will most definitely recommend the course to anyone.”
Jade Edwards, who is going to study Paramedic Science at Greenwich, said: “It has been an amazing year. The staff have been brilliant, and I really enjoyed working with my tutor and have had so much support from everyone to help me get through the course.”
Christopher Peters, will be studying Adult Nursing at Canterbury Christchurch, he said: “It has been a fantastic year. The staff and tutors have been great, there have been no issues with communication and our wellbeing has been looked after.”
Poppie Forster, who is also going to study Midwifery at Greenwich, added: “This is the first college course I have finished. I’ve quit all three that I’ve started before, so that shows how much I have enjoyed it!”
The Access to Higher Education Nursing and Healthcare Diploma is a one-year course comprised of Level 3 units (A level equivalent) in Health Studies, Psychology and Biology.
Students without GCSE Maths and/or English language at C or above can study GCSE Maths and GCSE English language while studying the Access course at no additional cost. The course is offered at both North Kent College’s Tonbridge and Dartford campuses.
To find out more visit the Higher Education section of the North Kent College website.