A great value pack

Open University graduates target new careers

Many mature Black people, disillusioned with hide-bound traditional educational systems, have turned to the Open University for a combination of learning and doing that gives them a critical edge in the marketplace.

A look at some recent graduates reveals how life experience and academic qualification link together in a variety of OU academic pursuits - from systems engineering and computing to business administration and journalism - and help them achieve that all-important goal: fulfilling cherished dreams.

Mr Samuel Ntekim,52, self-employed chauffeur, aims to become a maths teacher. His wife is South African and hopes to teach in Soweto.

Mr Charles Obi, 31, combined his studies with work as Senior Information Systems Consultant and community service as a Youth Mentor for an Afro-Caribbean Association.

Mrs Sofia Aziz, 32, company director, plans to set up a computer consultancy with her husband, who is also studying for a degree.

Mrs Femi Ajekigbe,30, is a special needs teacher, and took up studying to improve her career prospects.

Mr Milton Gatabaki,46, former asylum seeker, hopes to continue contributing articles to the independent press in Kenya in support of democracy

Mrs Padma Amliwala, 49, senior systems tester in a Government department, fulfilled her teenage dream of getting a degree. This "Proves that being a single parent, ethnic minority, female, disabled are not barriers to lifelong learning", she says.