Latest news with #UniversityOfSuffolk
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Mother-of-seven secures place on midwifery course after returning to education
A mother-of-seven who returned to education after jobs in hairdressing and floristry has secured a place on a midwifery course at university. Emily Porter, 38, of Mildenhall, Suffolk, said she never thought she was 'clever enough to be a midwife'. But she said she always told her children that 'as long as you set your mind to something, you can be anything you want to be', and decided to follow her own advice. She has now secured a place to study a three-year midwifery degree at the University of Suffolk, having been to college and completed qualifications. Ms Porter, whose children are aged between two and 16, completed four functional skills qualifications and a health-related access course. She did this at the West Suffolk College learning centre in Thetford, Norfolk and at Eastern and Education Group's University and Professional Development Centre in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. 'I never thought I was clever enough to be a midwife,' said Ms Porter. 'But I always say to my kids that as long as you set your mind to something, you can be anything you want to be. 'Pilots and doctors are human just like you. 'But then I wasn't following the advice I was giving to them. 'So I decided to go back to college and give it everything I've got. 'I was looking after my seven children, working in a pub a couple of nights a week and studying between 4am and 7am, before the kids got up, and at weekends. 'It was a struggle but I kept at it. I never quit.' She said her message to others is 'you can always find a way – you just need to look for it'. 'I've always been so insecure in my ability in education,' said Ms Porter. 'But when you want something so bad you go above and beyond. 'I'm lucky to have such a good support network. I have so many cheerleaders in my corner. 'I'm blown away (by the prospect of going to university). 'I might have a bit of imposter syndrome at the start, but once I'm in there, the only way is up and the only thing to do is complete the degree. 'I sometimes sit there and think about graduating. It makes me emotional.' She said she left school with grades 'that weren't very good' but decided, just after the Covid-19 pandemic, that she wanted 'to do something that means something and makes a difference'. She had an interest in becoming a midwife and researched how she could achieve this. She said the college support was 'amazing', adding: 'They have gone out of their way to help me and you are set up not to fail. 'Now I think that I can take the world on.' Ian Evans, head of personal and professional learning at the West Suffolk College centre in Thetford, said: 'Emily has been a superb student who is a total inspiration. 'We are thrilled to have been able to support her as she follows her dreams of becoming a midwife.'
The Independent
4 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Mother-of-seven secures place on midwifery course after returning to education
A mother-of-seven who returned to education after jobs in hairdressing and floristry has secured a place on a midwifery course at university. Emily Porter, 38, of Mildenhall, Suffolk, said she never thought she was 'clever enough to be a midwife'. But she said she always told her children that 'as long as you set your mind to something, you can be anything you want to be', and decided to follow her own advice. She has now secured a place to study a three-year midwifery degree at the University of Suffolk, having been to college and completed qualifications. Ms Porter, whose children are aged between two and 16, completed four functional skills qualifications and a health-related access course. She did this at the West Suffolk College learning centre in Thetford, Norfolk and at Eastern and Education Group's University and Professional Development Centre in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. 'I never thought I was clever enough to be a midwife,' said Ms Porter. 'But I always say to my kids that as long as you set your mind to something, you can be anything you want to be. 'Pilots and doctors are human just like you. 'But then I wasn't following the advice I was giving to them. 'So I decided to go back to college and give it everything I've got. 'I was looking after my seven children, working in a pub a couple of nights a week and studying between 4am and 7am, before the kids got up, and at weekends. 'It was a struggle but I kept at it. I never quit.' She said her message to others is 'you can always find a way – you just need to look for it'. 'I've always been so insecure in my ability in education,' said Ms Porter. 'But when you want something so bad you go above and beyond. 'I'm lucky to have such a good support network. I have so many cheerleaders in my corner. 'I'm blown away (by the prospect of going to university). 'I might have a bit of imposter syndrome at the start, but once I'm in there, the only way is up and the only thing to do is complete the degree. 'I sometimes sit there and think about graduating. It makes me emotional.' She said she left school with grades 'that weren't very good' but decided, just after the Covid-19 pandemic, that she wanted 'to do something that means something and makes a difference'. She had an interest in becoming a midwife and researched how she could achieve this. She said the college support was 'amazing', adding: 'They have gone out of their way to help me and you are set up not to fail. 'Now I think that I can take the world on.' Ian Evans, head of personal and professional learning at the West Suffolk College centre in Thetford, said: 'Emily has been a superb student who is a total inspiration. 'We are thrilled to have been able to support her as she follows her dreams of becoming a midwife.'
BBC News
22-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
University of Suffolk proposes staff redundancies
A university has proposed to cut some of its workforce as it looks to make £3.5m in University of Suffolk said like other universities it was "under considerable financial pressure" due to reasons including rising costs and the tightening of visa rules around overseas students.A spokesperson said a consultation had begun on proposals to restructure its academic schools and the way administrative support was comes after the site in Ipswich was awarded University of the Year in the 2025 Whatuni Student Choice Awards on Wednesday. The university said it was considering "the non-replacement of a number of vacant posts", as well as a "potential net reduction of around 35 occupied posts".The initial consultation process would run until late June."Like most universities, the University of Suffolk is under considerable financial pressure due to the real-terms fall in the value of the UK student tuition fee, the tightening of overseas visa rules and rising costs, including the recent National Insurance increase," the spokesperson said."We also face an increasingly competitive student recruitment environment. "While we have an ongoing programme to maximise efficiency savings and digital transformation, we still need to take immediate action to reduce our costs by £3.5 million."The university is proposing to make structural and workforce changes both to reduce costs and to create a scalable and sustainable organisation that can thrive for the future."The spokesperson added that the university remained "committed to providing a high quality and maintaining our positive student experience". 'Secure and stable vision' The University and College Union's regional support official, Michael Kyriacou, said the announcement left it "disappointed"."As a union we stand against any measures that negatively impact on our working conditions and student learning conditions," he said. "We expect management to work with us to take compulsory redundancies off the table and produce a secure and stable vision for the future for the university that protects our members and students."The university's Students' Union echoed its concerns."It is very disappointing to hear that the sector-wide financial issues are now being felt locally," a spokesperson said. "In the Students' Union we will continue to make sure that the student voice is heard by the university, and that any impact on the student experience here is minimised." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
