A return to education has proven something to celebrate for adult students at Redcar and Cleveland College and Stockton Riverside College.
The two colleges saw their higher education learners come together this week in their first ever joint graduation at Stockton Globe.
Parading through the high street ahead of the official proceedings, more than 100 students were there to pick up a variety of qualifications including HNCs, certificates in higher education, Foundation Degrees and full Honours Degrees, many delivered in partnership with Teesside University.
“It felt very exciting and emotional,” said the event’s valedictory speaker, Rachael McPartland.
The 38-year-old mum-of-two, from Linthorpe, received her BA Hons in Education and Training from Stockton Riverside College. She was invited to speak on stage on behalf of her fellow graduates.
“I was speechless and honoured to be asked,” she said. “The teachers have changed my life in ways they will never know. Not just in gaining my qualification but also helping me to see what is possible.”
Also achieving her BA Hons in Education and Training, but this time at Redcar and Cleveland College, Bernice Wood, said: “Seven years ago I walked into Redcar and Cleveland College with no qualifications. Now I have a degree.”
Having faced a series of health struggles, including living with Crohn’s disease and undergoing two knee operations during her final year of study, she said: “This is one of my greatest achievements.”
Bernice runs her own salon, Nature’s Way in Middlesbrough, which is now a training academy, and is also part of a team to have set up The Gutsy Foundation, a charity working to support the lives of those affected by inflammatory bowel diseases. She admits that juggling the additional demands of her studies has been a challenge.
For her, days like this make it worth all the effort. She said: “Walking through the town and seeing people clapping, it felt surreal.”
Redcar and Cleveland College and Stockton Riverside College are both part of the Education Training Collective (Etc.), along with Bede Sixth Form College, NETA Training and Innersummit.
Etc. Group Principal and Chief Executive Grant Glendinning said: “I am always proud to see our higher education students celebrate their achievements at our graduation ceremonies.
“Today feels extra special as this is the first time we have brought together our higher education students from across our colleges.
“It was a spectacular moment to see all those learners, who have put in the hard work and commitment, often around the demands of work and family life, in the procession together.”
