The National Extension College (NEC), located in Sawston on the outskirts of Cambridge, is celebrating its 60th birthday this year. Founded in 1963 by Michael Young, Lord Young of Dartington, NEC is a not-for-profit distance learning provider that offers access to essential qualifications such as GCSEs and A levels, as well as vocational qualifications in management, business and teaching.
NEC Chief Executive Esther Chesterman said: “NEC believes that everybody deserves a chance to achieve their learning goals, no matter their circumstances, and we are proud of all of our students’ achievements. We are excited to see where newly developing technology in areas like adaptive learning and AI will lead NEC. Our goal is to continue to deliver the same high quality learning materials and support for many years to come.”
To celebrate the milestone, NEC is sponsoring a tree as part of Trees for Streets Cambridge, partnering with local charity Centre 33 for staff fundraising, and offering a bursary of up to £1,000 to one learner interested in changing career or returning to the workplace.
Throughout their 60 years, the college has seen hundreds of thousands of students enrol on their courses, all with different goals and reasons for needing to access distance learning. Alumni include comedian Russell Kane, who studied A level Sociology with NEC and received the fastest ever A grade from enrolment to completion, and Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards, who completed several GCSEs and A levels with NEC in the late 1990s before heading to De Montfort University.
The NEC 60th Birthday Bursary applications close on 4th August and the recipient will be announced on 16th August at an event NEC is holding at The Stapleford Granary Arts Centre in Cambridge.
Amanda Davies, NEC Marketing Manager, said: “We are thrilled to be celebrating this landmark birthday. We are proud to have been at the forefront of ensuring education is accessible to those in need of flexible study to fit around their lifestyle for the past 60 years. We look forward to seeing what the future brings for NEC.”
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.