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Free English and Maths GCSEs on offer
Cornwall College has announced plans to make studying Maths and English GCSEs free to people of all ages from September, following an announcement made by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) earlier this year.
The SFA stated that from September 1st, those who do not currently have Maths or English GCSEs at grade A* to C will be eligible for full funding whilst they study, regardless of other prior qualifications held by the learner.
This means that anyone of any age will be able to either gain a new qualification or improve their existing grade and, ultimately, improve their job prospects.
The SFA’s announcement also follows recent discussions surrounding the Government’s plans to change the English examinations system, the importance of GCSEs and how much emphasis universities and employers place upon them when applying for course places and jobs.
Vicky Cox, Corporate Curriculum Lead for Continuing and Community Education at Cornwall College, said: “There’s always been a belief that GCSEs become less important the further you advance in your studies or career, but that isn’t really the case. For a lot of professions such as nursing, teaching and emergency services, plus in university applications, a grade C or above in core subjects like English and Maths is still required, so having good grades in these subjects is important.”
Dave Linnell, Principal of Cornwall College, said: “As a college, we always endeavour to meet the needs of our learners and our local communities. Offering free core GCSE study to learners who want to improve their grades and future careers is one way of doing that, combined with the excellent quality of teaching and tremendous amount of support they will receive from our staff whilst they study with us.”
Cornwall College will be offering GCSE English and Maths courses at the Camborne, St Austell and Saltash campuses as part-time and evening courses beginning this September.
For more information about these and other courses at Cornwall College, or to apply for a place, call 0845 22 32 567, email enquiries@cornwall.ac.uk.
