With the cuts in the current economy and everyone being told to tighten their belts by the UK government it appears there is still light at the end of the tunnel for people wanting to gain a better education and better future employment prospects. In reviews of recent research it was found that employers were impressed by both job candidates and current employees who gained qualifications through part-time study whilst being employed in some capacity.
It is widely regarded that employers like when students or employees gain valuable experience through the combination of both work and study. In some cases employers will grant funding to go towards fully paid study tuition to an existing employee. This is seen as not only a commitment by both parties, but also it is a way of sharing an employees career progression and reinforces the employees position within an established workplace, plus adds value to their skills and qualifications gained within the company.
Part-time students looking to move into a different area or field of employment future employers will see their commitment of working and studying part-time as an asset and strength of character, thus giving them a better chance in the workplace over other prospective candidates with none or little work experience to back up their qualification gained.
For mature students or people of a certain age with other commitments like families, studying part-time is the only way of attaining a better qualification or added qualification like a post graduate. There are still plenty of benefits for studying in this way, firstly the job security is still there, so financially it’s less draining and means that if you do need to take up a student loan, it should be greatly reduced due to the added income from working alongside your study.
These days in education part-time students have an equal amount of resources at their disposal as their full-time counterparts as both colleges and universities offer so much flexibility to part-times candidates. Most are geared up for online access of their online resources and journals, which to the part-time student means less (or minimal) visits to the campus library, also online student support has improved so there is help on hand when you are off campus.
It is also worth checking out the various grants, charity organisations that offer financial assistance depending on the course or area of study, also there is “Knowledge Transfer Partnerships”, which is where companies employ graduates to carry out research based work study projects for collaborating universities, these generally can offer a competitive salary. It is also worth noting there could be financial assistance for single parents with children to receive child care financial support to assist in their educational development. So with all these options, it is down to you to decide where and how you want to proceed with your educational future and development, with a study plan that suits your needs, work and your life.
