By: Claire Wilson BSc. Last Updated: March 2024

Here at GetReskilled, we only offer courses to mature students.

It’s all we do, so we’re really good at it.

We see a big part of that responsibility as being able to offer parents (whether working or stay-at-home) a BSc (Hons) degree option that is truly flexible to the unpredictability of life with children.

Let’s take a look at how our unique degree programme helps parents achieve their education goals…

As a parent, you’re already keeping track and coordinating the schedules of multiple people. It can be difficult to put yourself first.

We’ll assign you a Course Coordinator who’ll work closely with you throughout your studies to help keep you on track and get that degree.

As well as helping you plan your academic schedule (see the point below for more details), they’ll be your single point of contact for any questions about the course and they’ll check in with your course progress every week.

When things are going well, they’ll notice. They’ll acknowledge the work and effort you’re putting in, and remind you how it’s paying off.

And if it ever looks like you’re starting to fall behind in your studies, they’ll be right there to help you put plans in place to get back on track.

They’re there to be your study cheerleader or personal trainer, whichever you happen to need in any given week!

So you’re never alone. There’s someone right there sharing your journey and helping to shoulder the responsibility of motivation when times get a little bit tough.

It’s a unique system and we believe it’s core to our students’ success. It’s a level of support that could never be offered in traditional universities and one that our previous parents have really appreciated.

“The course coordinators are very active, flexible and interactive in answering any query.”

– Philbert Nshimiyimana, GetReskilled alumni

Once you’re enrolled on the programme, you’ll work with your Course Coordinator to map out your schedule for year one.

There’s only one module in that year that has to be taken during specific weeks and completed at the standard class pace (approx 15 hours per week).

Aside from that, you have total flexibility to fit the other modules into the year in a way that works for you.

You can tell us upfront about times you know you’ll have less/no time for study (such as school holidays or your family travel plans, for example) and we’ll block them off to make sure you get that break.

Once we know that, we’ll also be able to provide you with dates of your assignments, deadlines and any exams.

We’ve found that by doing this, our mature students are able to maintain a healthy study-life balance and confidently make family plans that complement their studies.

You’ll do this planning exercise at the start of every year.

Our BSc (Hons) degree programme is entirely online so you won’t waste valuable family time commuting to classes.

You also won’t have to go through the hassle of finding or paying for childcare while you study.

There are absolutely no in-person requirements, but you will be invited to an in-person graduation after you successfully complete your degree.

“It’s brilliant that you can study in your own time & at home (so you don’t have travel & childminding costs)”

– Trish Kineen, GetReskilled alumni

In addition to online delivery, it’s entirely asynchronous (which is just a fancy way of saying you can study when and where you want). There are no fixed class times and no zoom webinars.

You’ll have a week’s worth of work released to you at one time and all your course materials are available 24/7.

So whatever age your children are, whatever your family’s schedule looks like, you can make this work. You can use the time your children are in classes or clubs, you can make use of offers of childcare – whenever they might be, you can study once the kids are in bed… whatever works best for your family.

One thing we know about mature students with children – their life is far from predictable.

Rather than putting pressure on you to keep up with a predefined pace and risking you falling behind or getting demotivated when life inevitably gets in the way, we’re offering something very special…

We’ve built the ability to change the pace of your study into our degree delivery.

Essentially this means that you can speed up or slow down your course to match your current circumstances.

If you know you’re going to have more time than usual in a week (perhaps you’ve got a week off work but the kids are still in school), you can ask for more coursework to be released and make progress through your course a little quicker.

However, if your week gets derailed by a bug brought home from nursery or your teenager needing a bit of extra support, just let us know and we’ll work with you to keep your motivation on track by delaying your course release.

Going into this you know you’ve got time in your week to make it work, but we also know that you can’t guarantee that every week and your children will always have to take priority. When family life gets tough, we’ll be right there with you.

We don’t know many parents that would suddenly be able to find 2 full days in the week to meet a 15-hour per week study timetable.

So we split up our subjects into small, manageable pieces.

Rather than hour-long videos and chapters of reading, you’ll be given several “topics” each week.

Each topic contains a short (5-10 minute) video with a set of notes that supplements that learning. Even where the information in a topic needs a longer video, you’ll find it presented as multiple short videos.

You’ll also complete problem-solving exercises and examples or case studies to give you a well-rounded learning experience and make sure you really understand the teaching points.

So you don’t need to find hours of consecutive free time. You can make the most of even the smallest window of available time in your week and make steady progress towards your goal instead.

“GetReskilled is an excellent service… The program is broken down into manageable units, the time allocated for each module is generous, the coordinators are very knowledgeable and willing to help.”

– Patrick Coleman, GetReskilled alumni

If you’re currently working, chances are that you can’t suddenly quit your job to study – your family still needs a place to stay, food to eat, clothes to wear.

So we’ve designed a programme that works, even alongside full-time employment.

Between the bite-size topics and the flexibility to study any time wherever and whenever is convenient, many of our previous mature students have successfully juggled a full-time job, parenting, and studying with us.

“The online experience is working well for me as I study around work and family commitments.”

– Regina McNamara, GetReskilled alumni

With the uncertainty of life with children, this is a big one.

Too many people are sitting waiting for the “right time” to start their studies. They’re trying to predict the future and look for where they can dedicate 4 years to getting a degree.

Instead, we believe parents should be able to start making progress as soon as they want and have some flexibility within a programme.

With this in mind, our BSc (Hons) degree has designated “lock in” points at the end of year one and year two.

At these points, you get a recognised university accredited award from the University of South Wales and gain eligibility for the next year of study. You will also “lock in” your progress within the course.

If you had to take a break at either (or both) of these points, you could return at a later point and pick up exactly where you left off.

There’s no time limit to this.

So you don’t need to try to predict the future. It’s incredibly difficult to know what family life will look like in the years ahead. All you need to know right now is that you’re in a good position to make a start.

“Four years may seem like a long time, but for me it went by quickly. It’s gone in a flash now and I actually can’t believe I’m near the end of it and I’m so glad I did it.”

– Kieran Mac Namara, GetReskilled alumni

You don’t suddenly need to find a whole year’s worth of tuition fees within your family’s budget.

You also don’t have to take on thousands of pounds worth of student debt.

With our interest-free payment plans you’ll spread the cost of your education and can choose the interest free payment plan that best suits your situation.

You can choose to pay monthly, per module or per year – whichever suits your family budget best.

You’ve got your family’s future to consider so we know you need a degree option you can trust.

This unique partnership between GetReskilled and University of South Wales offers mature students something really special…

The convenience and flexibility that comes with online distance learning alongside the confidence and security that comes with a degree from a brick-and-mortar university.

This kind of partnership isn’t something you’ll see very often but we (and our students!) love it!

I thought I would never be able to take any university accredited program considering I have kids and a full-time job. With GetReskilled, it is actually possible.”

– Dulce Mar Giner, GetReskilled alumni

Check out this page for more course details and click the big red “apply now” button if you’re ready to get started!

You can always contact us or click on the blue circle at the bottom of the screen on this page if you’ve got any questions – we look forward to hearing from you!