Other learning opportunities
Most people probably associated learning opportunities with the natural progression through school life, from Nursery or Primary school through to University or even PHD level. However, learning really is a lifelong experience and there are many different educational opportunities available outside of the school environment.
Upon leaving school a popular choice for young people is often a more work-based qualification such as an apprenticeship. The beauty of furthering your education and learning a trade or skill through an apprenticeship, for a lot of people at least, is the chance to earn money while learning. A contrast to an university education, where the majority of people fork out a lot of money long before they see a return on their investment! It is possible to complete an apprenticeship in a wide range of fields and these include admin and business, hospitality (food and drink), construction, management, travel and accountancy to name just a few. Over recent years the law concerning apprenticeships has altered slightly and it is now possible to become an apprentice between the ages of 14 and 16 as well as over 25.
Many people continue to expand on what they have learned throughout their working lives and complete further training often supported by their employer. A lot of employers sponsor employees to complete NVQs whilst working and, in much the same way as apprenticeships, these can be in a variety of subject areas.
For many people the nature of their employment demands that they keep learning throughout their professional career and this is particularly true within the health sector for Doctors, Nurses and other health professionals. This continued learning means that they are abreast of developments that may help to offer a higher level of care / knowledge to a patient.
More recently, the internet has also played a significant part in the development of learning and it is possible to complete online courses in many subjects. One of the most popular, and well respected, universities in Britain is actually the Open University which has an online 'base' and has many thousands of students completing varied educations courses at many levels every year. This has helped to broaden the accessibility of a university education to a lot of people and offers a very flexible approach to learning.