With NEC celebrating our 60th birthday in 2023, we have been asking students for their stories of studying with NEC.

Throughout our 60 years, we have seen hundreds of thousands of students enrol on NEC courses, all with different goals and reasons for accessing distance learning. One of our central aims since we were founded in 1963 has been to help our students to achieve their learning ambitions in order to get wherever they want to go.

Earlier this year, Martin was in contact with our Student Support team and told them:

“Many years ago I studied with the NEC at a time when I was working in a factory. I often came home from my shift, slept a few hours and then studied through the night. That got me started on a long academic journey. I owe a lot to the NEC.”

We caught up with Martin to find out more about his time studying with NEC.

After discovering NEC through an advert in the newspaper, Martin signed up to study English Literature. “The course looked interesting” he says, and he was motivated to get a qualification after having left school without any.

As Martin’s first experience of distance learning, he remembers NEC in particular for the “very good course materials” and the service and support he received during his time as an NEC student. He would, he says, “definitely” study another course with NEC.

Now retired, Martin, who enjoys listening to music, told us: “I left school without qualifications and decided to try to find an alternative to factory work. I finished up with several good qualifications and a professional career.”

We are delighted to hear about the part that NEC played in Martin’s academic journey and in setting him on the path to a professional career.

When students who have had a good experience of studying with NEC choose to undertake a further course we are always pleased to welcome them back as a student. Martin is currently studying another course with NEC, A level History, and we wish him well with his studies.

If, like Martin, you are looking to change career, NEC’s online courses offer quality course materials designed to fit in with your lifestyle and draw on our 60 years of life-changing learning. With no set schedule you can take control of your learning to ensure the best possible chance of success.

Explore our courses.