Realising their ambitions

Six adult learners are about to start their degrees at the University after successfully completing an educational pathway programme designed to meet their needs and help them realise their ambitions.

The Exploring the Past Pathway is collaboration between the University's Centre for Lifelong Learning and the School of History, Archaeology and Religion.

Made up of six 10-credit modules in archaeology, religious studies and history, the pathway is a flexible, affordable route into higher education, enabling adult learners to apply to study for a degree at the School, upon successful completion of the programme.

Dan Jewson, one of the students progressing, said: "I will be starting an undergraduate degree in history in September 2013. This would not have been possible without Exploring the Past. I have been given an opportunity to get back into academic study after a long break. The courses have helped me gain the necessary credits to progress to an undergraduate degree programme. Further, they have given me the confidence and self-belief to feel I can be successful at undergraduate study. Thank you to everyone associated with Exploring the Past. Everyone has been so supportive and helpful."

As part of the pathway students were encouraged to take part in a series of archaeological digs alongside professional archaeologists at Ham Hill in Somerset, Dinas Powys in the Vale of Glamorgan and Caerau, South Wales.

Student Janet Maurice attended the dig on an iron-age hillfort at Ham Hill. She said: "The excavation technique was entirely new to me but also how the lead archaeologists took the bits of evidence from many different sections of the dig and from different techniques. The most interesting thing was the discovery of the artefacts. When I was there quite a few were revealed including two pig skulls, pots and bits of pots and best of all a Neolithic flint scraper. I am totally convinced I want to do archaeology. The collating of the information is very time consuming but produces amazing results."

The Pathway Co-ordinator Dr Richard Marsden said: "All of us who work on Exploring the Past are incredibly proud to be involved in it and with the students who study it. This year another group of adults from a wide range of backgrounds are progressing onto degrees. Their achievement really shows that hard work and enthusiasm does pay off."

The Cardiff Centre for Lifelong Learning currently offers another five Pathways, including: Accounting and Finance; Business and Management; Modern Languages or Translation; and Social Sciences. Two new pathways we will be added to the programme in January, leading to degrees in English Literature, English Language, Philosophy and Journalism.