< Info : Case Studies : Rashid

Rashid - Access to Humanities - Degree in Urban Studies - Town Planner

I left school at 16 with no qualifications and started working in the family business like many young boys of my community. Within a few years, I had become totally disillusioned. Business was not good, despite all my hard work. I felt I was wasting my life away.

I saw a leaflet about SWAP Access Programmes in my local library. It looked really interesting, so I phoned and made an appointment with the SWAP Student Adviser. She was very helpful and I decided to enroll on the SWAP Access to Humanities at my local college to prepare for a degree in Urban Studies. The family elders were totally opposed to the idea but when I explained I would continue to work in the shop while studying, they agreed to let me give the course a go.

My written English was very poor at the start of the Access Programme, so my Tutor arranged sessions with a learning support specialist for me, which proved invaluable. It's been a lot of hard work juggling studies and work in the shop but I made it! I finished my degree in Urban Studies last year and immediately got a job as a Town Planner with the City Council. The family is very proud of me and now I feel I have a bright future ahead of me serving the community, all thanks to SWAP!