European Social Fund in England
2007 - 2013
Case studies: ESF Learning Works Award
Sharon Brennan from Derbyshire
Not even the prospect of going into labour during an exam could stop Sharon Brennan, 37, from completing her studies. “I was a couple of days overdue when I went into my word processing exam at 9.30 and at 9.20 the next day I had my second baby,” the single mum says. “I passed my exam - but I did not get a distinction!”
Sharon didn’t do all that well at school so when she left her job opportunities were limited. But when she started her own family at 25, she was determined to improve her qualifications so that she could offer her children a bright future. “I wanted some security for them. I didn’t want to go back to waitressing or cleaning, which was what I did when I left school. I wanted a career.”
Now, nine years after first enrolling at college, she’s working as a trainee property surveyor at Kier, studying for an HNC in building studies at Sheffield Hallam University and considering taking on a university degree. “Studying at Hope Valley College gave me a fantastic start to better myself and it gave me my self-esteem back,” she says.
It’s not just Sharon who’s proud of her achievement, either. “Every time [my children] see a Kier van go past they say ‘my mummy works for them’,” she says.