Alan was ready for a career change so combined working full-time with studying to reach his goal of become a teacher. He started at the College studying Level 3 Award in Education and Training and progressed to Level 4.

He described his time at Sunderland College as enjoyable, fun and friendly.

He said:

“I decided to study at Sunderland College as I was looking to change my career and enter into teaching. I looked at a range of different colleges and Sunderland College had the answers to my questions, so I applied and was invited to an interview where I enrolled onto the Level 3 course.

The layout of Washington campus lends itself to discussions. The seating area and cafeteria make it easy to sit down and have a chat over a coffee, or a study group to discuss assignments. The relaxed atmosphere helps this to happen.

The best thing about the course was the enthusiasm of our lecturer. The whole class became friends through the activities our lecturer set, the discussion points that were opened up during lessons. This meant that most of the class progressed onto the next level.

The staff are friendly and the whole atmosphere in the college is relaxed. I feel that there is an ethos of ‘the learner comes first’ so if there is a learning need, the College will strive to oblige.

I can highly recommend the courses I studied at Sunderland College. Although they are not easy – and they shouldn’t be – they were enjoyable, the learning was fun and I gained a great deal of satisfaction from the learning.”

Alan has progressed onto Level 5 Professional Certificate in Post Compulsory Education and Training at the University of Sunderland to make his dream career a reality.

Student success stories

Maths and English for a Successful Future

Maths and English are everywhere! They are important life skills that will help you to achieve your best in your studies and to progress to your dream career. A GCSE Maths and English qualification could be the difference between being accepted onto a university course or getting a job promotion.

98% of our students progress to a positive destination

*Destination data for Sunderland College students aged 16-18, academic year 2017/18).

Why choose Sunderland College?

Our achievement rates are well above the national average.

We are the College of the Year.

(*Top college nationally for BTECs, Pearson 2019)

100% of our HND and HNC students progressed to employment or further study. 

(*Destination data, academic year 2016/17, HNC 19+)

We have recently invested £50 million in our facilities.