Arthur’s daughter inspires his successful return to learning
He passed his Access to HE course with flying colours to progress to university.
A love of literature and wanting to set a good example for his daughter inspired Arthur Millington to return to education and pursue his dream career in English and writing.
After being forced to drop out of another college during his A-Levels and then taking on two jobs following the birth of his daughter, Arthur decided to enrol on the Access to HE in English, Writing and Media course, delivered in partnership with UCEN Manchester.
The 21-year-old said: “Shortly after leaving college, my girlfriend gave birth to my lovely daughter Rose and because of this I had to further distance myself from the prospect of returning to a more traditional route through academia, picking up two full-time jobs at once.
“I became an apprentice nursery practitioner for almost two years, working at the nursery during the day and a restaurant during the night. Whilst working, I slowly built a strong desire to return to academia and continue my studies, as I have an intense love for literature. So, I decided to leave my job as an apprentice and finally pursue this desire on the access course.
And that decision has paid off handsomely, after Arthur passed the course with ten distinctions and three merits, giving him a total of 138 UCAS points out of a possible 144. He’s now progressing to Manchester Metropolitan University, to study for a degree in English.
Arthur credits the “fantastic” teachers on his access course, who went above and beyond to make sure he could achieve the best he was capable of.
“For me personally I have to thank each of my teachers for being a constant catalyst of support throughout the year,” Arthur said. “That being the supremely knowledgeable Shelley Deasey, the always caring and understanding Glenn Meads and the fantastically enthusiastic Thomas Roberts. These three people helped me achieve the best possible grades I was capable of and for that they are nothing short of amazing.
The amount of support and accessibility whilst studying completely online was staggering.
"Never did I find myself lost or without help, the wonderful tutors were only ever a message away and the fact that this level of consistent support was kept present throughout the entire year of my time with The Manchester College is nothing but admirable.”
After completing his degree, Arthur’s aspiration is to delve into a profession under the umbrella of English and writing, such as teaching or journalism. And there’s no doubting who he’s doing it all for.
“My daughter has acted as a constant beacon of inspiration, not only during my time at college, but before and after. She’s honestly my main motivation for wanting to return to college and succeed in academia, not only to make myself proud but to lay a good example for her to follow.”
You can find out more about the range of Access to HE courses available at The Manchester College and UCEN Manchester and apply today.
