The Centre for Lifelong Learning’s programme of Continuing Education short courses, lectures and workshops are effective in attracting students from a range of backgrounds and including them within the University. Many of these individuals have a record of educational achievement; others have not.

1. The Students
Widening Participation
Forgot?
Continuing Education and Community Engagement
Claire Jones
Centre for Lifelong Learning

2. “Elite universities 'fail to recruit
poorest students’ ”
(published 4 June 2012)

3. • Share what Continuing Education is doing
• Describe some partnership initiatives
• Explore Continuing Education’s WP potential
• Reflections and questions

7. ‘Then I would have a reality check, of course I wouldn’t enrol.
How could I. These kinds of courses weren’t meant for me…..’
‘I hadleft school at 16 with a few GCSEs … I hadn’t studied for
over 20 years. I was too old. So how could I return to learning?
What if I made a fool of myself? What if I couldn’t do it?’
‘At first I didn’t feel confident enough to complete assignments,
but with the gentle encouragement of the lecturers I decided to
put my knowledge to the test.’
‘Soon I found I was study 2 modules a week, one in Liverpool
and one at Formby, Ormskirk or Southport. I suddnely found
that I had obtained 120 credits and wanted to take things
further’

8. Continuing Education: Reflections and Questions:
•Non-school focused widening participation as well as
community engagement
•Non-threatening first step to a degree programme
•Sometimes a substitute for a higher education denied
earlier in life
•Real benefits to individuals, their families and
communities.
•Mature, life-experienced people from a non-
privileged background a great recruitment pool