Katie is 29 years old, and has a six year old daughter, and three year old son. She has begun a distance-learning course to become a Chartered Accountant after being awarded a grant from Horizons Education Fund to cover her fees.
“I’ve been working in Accounts departments for 10 years, and I always wanted to go further in it. I put it off because of having the children, but now it’s important to get this qualification because you can’t do people’s audits and sign them off without being certified, and obviously that’s where the real money is.”
Katie works part-time in an accounts department, and really welcomes the flexibility that distance learning allows. “I’d feel guilty if I didn’t spend enough time with the children, so working and studying part-time, I’m lucky really. I’m trying to set up my own bookkeeping business at the moment, and my long-term goal is to work for myself. Once I’ve finished this course, I’ll be a fully qualified Chartered Accountant – but the more you study, the more you learn, so I might do another qualification as well.”
Katie wants to encourage other single parents to seek out education and training: "“I wish I’d done it when I was younger. It’s been a really positive thing for my family.”
"“I wish I’d done it when I was younger. It’s been a really positive thing for my family.”
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