Accelerating Skills Development for People That Live and Work in the Social Care Sector
The pioneering Carers Scholarships Fund enables carers to access life-changing education and to overcome the many hurdles that prevent them.
Open University’s flexible study meets the needs of carers in that they can study where and when they can and organise their learning around their caring responsibilities. Student carers can also access bespoke support from the OU’s Student Support Team, who have been trained to understand the challenges they may face. This year Open University received over 150 applications for the 20 places available on the scheme.
The 12 CareTech-funded scholarships have been awarded, with 67% of Cohort 1 and 100% of Cohort 2 completing the year and continuing their studies. Four students now wish to proceed with their studies to achieve graduation. The Open University had envisaged a six-year study time as most carers study part-time. However, three of these scholars have been able to study full-time and will graduate sooner.
We are delighted to note that scholarship students have a higher-than-average retention rate.