East Sussex College students better equipped for life than graduates new research shows

The research found that 69% of graduates who completed higher education in further education colleges felt prepared for life after study, compared with 50% of university graduates.

East Sussex College, which has campuses in Hastings, Eastbourne and Lewes, says the findings reflect the experiences of many of its own students, who describe smaller class sizes, personalised support and the ability to balance degree-level study with work and family commitments.

For Cally Blackford, who studied Music at East Sussex College before building a career as a touring sound engineer and now works at the college, the experience was about far more than gaining a qualification.

"The support I got during my music degree shaped me into a better person," she said. "The lecturers genuinely cared about my success, both academically and personally. I can honestly say the college helped change my life."

Business graduate Victoria Collins balanced her BA (Hons) Business degree alongside raising a family and running three businesses.

"It allowed me to continue developing my businesses while gaining the knowledge and confidence that comes with a degree," she said. "It showed me that education doesn't have to follow one traditional route."

Meanwhile, counselling graduate Felicia Kahin returned to education at 49 while continuing to work full time.

"Lots of the current headlines about degrees aren't wrong," she said. "They're describing the most expensive way to get a degree, not the only way. For me, the value came from being able to keep working, stay close to my family and qualify for the career I wanted."

The students' experiences are reflected in the latest National Student Survey, where East Sussex College was once again ranked the highest-performing higher education provider in Sussex for overall student satisfaction.

Every area of the student experience scored above the national average, including 95.3% of students rating the quality of teaching highly and 94.5% praising the academic support they received.

Meg Sullivan, Director of Higher Education at East Sussex College, believes the conversation around higher education has become too focused on a single model.

"People come to higher education at very different stages in their lives and for very different reasons," she said. "For some people, moving away to university is absolutely the right choice. For others, studying locally alongside work or family life is a better fit.

"Higher education isn't one experience. The important thing is that people understand the different options available and choose the environment where they're most likely to thrive."

For more information about degree opportunities at East Sussex College, visit www.adult.escg.ac.uk/degree-level/degree-level.