Access to higher education graduate Hannah Downes is flourishing at Harper-Keele Veterinary School, where she is currently studying a five-year degree in veterinary medicine and surgery.

Former Codsall High School student Hannah first joined Telford College in 2021, where she signed up for the access to higher education science programme, the first step towards her dream of opening her own veterinary practice.

The access to higher education qualification gives learners over the age of 19 the academic skills to prepare them for university. This includes essay writing, time management and meeting deadlines, whilst allowing learners to gain enough UCAS points to get them into university.

The programme allowed Hannah to consolidate her learning and develop her science knowledge for the course she wanted to study at university.

Hannah said: “I preferred the idea of being taught in a more traditional, face to face way, rather than online, distance learning and Telford College offered just that. Studying at Telford College meant I didn’t need to travel too far to gain my qualification.

“Access prepared me to develop my confidence tackling assignments by practicing my academic writing skills, along with preparation for different assessments.”

“Access also helped me with my referencing skills. I don’t think I could have done as well on my first few assignments if I hadn’t had the support from my tutors.

“At university, there is so much accountability as a student to be responsible for your own time management and completing work on time, the programme definitely prepared me for that!

“Access gives any learner a strong foundation to build on if they want to progress onto university – the tutors were so supportive, and the units were extremely relevant to my progression. I’ve made friends for life with people I met on my access to higher education programme!”

Jay Patel, Hannah’s former tutor, said: “we’re proud of all our students, but it’s particularly special when a student shows as much enthusiasm and perseverance to achieve their goals as Hannah did. Going to Harper-Keele was always something Hannah wanted to do, and she’s proved you can really do it when you put your mind to it!”

Abi Allen, programme manager for access, higher education and health at Telford College, said: “Hannah was a dedicated student, committed to her studies and pursuing her dream career to be a vet.”

“We hope Hannah’s journey inspires others wanting to take the leap back into education to start their own journey towards achieving their desired career goals. The first few steps are always the most challenging, but our fantastic access team are here to offer support and invaluable guidance to help people on their pathway to success”.

Hannah advises current students and anybody considering an access to higher education programme to prepare for a change in lifestyle as the access course requires a huge amount of dedication and commitment to get high grades, as well as remaining on top of deadlines and hand in dates as much as possible.

If you’re interested in studying an access to higher education programme and want to expand your educational horizons, apply here.