Jason's Story

The Challenge

Jason had worked in logistics management for eleven years, progressing to warehouse supervisor at a large distribution centre in Coventry. He had known for several years that he wanted to retrain as a nurse – his mother had been a Band 6 community nurse throughout his childhood and her career had always inspired him – but without A-Levels, every nursing degree he looked at seemed out of reach. He had GCSEs from school but had never studied at sixth form level, and the idea of sitting in a classroom at 34 alongside school leavers felt unrealistic given his shift pattern and family commitments.

Why learndirect

Jason found the learndirect Pathways website while researching Access to HE Nursing courses online and submitted an enquiry late one evening after his shift. Jake, a learndirect enrolment adviser, called him back the following morning and spent over an hour explaining exactly how the Access to HE Diploma worked, which universities in his region accepted it, and what grades he would need to aim for. “He answered every question I had – I came into the call worried it was too complicated, and I came out of it knowing exactly what to do,” Jason said. The online delivery and assignment-based assessment meant he could study in the early hours of the morning before shifts or on weekends, without needing to leave Coventry for any classes.

The Outcome

Jason is currently in the second half of his OCNL Access to HE Diploma (Nursing pathway), targeting Merit and Distinction grades across his units. His tutor has already provided a predicted grade letter for his UCAS application to BNurs programmes at Coventry University and the University of Warwick, both of which have confirmed conditional offers. On qualification, Jason is targeting NHS Band 5 Registered Nurse roles – a starting salary of £29,970 rising to £36,483 – with the aim of specialising in community nursing and following in his mother's career footsteps.