Fine Arts, Professional Training

Expressing ideas and her unique personality comes naturally to her.

Maria is a native Greek speaker who started studying Spanish with us nearly three years ago.

By day Maria works as an Urban Designer and in the evening comes to Brasshouse Centre to indulge her love of languages.

What immediately impresses you about Maria is that although she has a demanding job she always puts the maximum effort into her language learning. In every lesson she challenges herself to achieve excellence. Her tutor says:

“Maria’s written work is always perfect. Whenever I read it I never have to correct anything. I even have to write on it ‘zero corrections’ so she knows I’ve read it! Her writing is always so expressive and contains many little details that allow you to feel her personality. Maria isn’t just translating from one language to another, she expresses her thoughts and paints pictures in Spanish. She really has immersed herself in the language and culture.”

Maria is also very sociable and cares about others in her group. After all this time learning together, they have become a great group of friends in the classroom. We look forward to welcoming back Maria to continue her studies and watching her Spanish powers continue to blossom.

Excited with the new direction of his life.

Geoff had to leave his job as a care worker when he needed to have a hip replacement.

In March 2021, he decided to get out and start looking for a new career. With a lifelong love of numbers, he chose an Accounts course at Brasshouse.

Geoff instantly felt part of the learning community and realised that his physical problems weren’t a barrier to his succeeding. He credits this support with what drove him to want to succeed so much.

While studying on this course, Geoff noticed that the offices to the Commonwealth Games were in the Library too and decided he wanted to get involved. He was delighted to be accepted as a volunteer at his beloved Edgbaston Cricket Ground.

Enjoying his studies, Geoff took his learning to the next level and enrolled onto the challenging level 3 qualification. Partway through this course, he got the call to have his operation. After twelve weeks of intense rehabilitation he was determined to return and complete what he had started. Not succeeding straightaway, Geoff showed his resilience and determination by repeating the exam which he then passed.

Geoff is currently looking for an accountancy role. While he does this, he is volunteering with the accounts team to keep his skills sharp and ready to go when the job opportunity he so richly deserves turns up.

Motivated by the desire to live his best life

Shane has a catchphrase “Don’t just sit there in the corner. Go out and do something about it!”

That is exactly what Shane has done, and he is now reaping the rewards.

As a child, Shane was diagnosed with learning difficulties and disabilities and attended a Special Needs school. Sadly, he had a difficult time there, and he left with no qualifications.

Not happy just sitting at home, he decided he needed to get a job. However, when he was able to find work, it was never the right fit for him. Determined to not give up, Shane went into Selly Oak Centre and enrolled onto a Maths course. This year, he is studying to improve both his English and maths.

Understandably, Shane was initially quiet in the classroom. However, starting to feel safe and more relaxed in this new learning environment, he came out of his shell. His natural desire to help other people meant it wasn’t long before he was helping any classmates who were struggling. His tutor says:

“Shane is a joy to have in the classroom. His contributions to class activities are always positive and he genuinely wants to help others.”

Shane wants to work either within the animal care industry or a support worker with an educational role. With his determination and caring attitude, we have no doubt he will achieve his goals.

Siema has dedicated her life to caring for her family and has watched her children work towards achieving their career goals.

Happy to see them exploring their options, there was a part of her that regretted she had never had the opportunity to reach her own potential as a learner.

Siema had always enjoyed spending time with her own children and felt drawn to working in schools. In 2022 she enrolled on Working with Children course and also started to improve her English and Maths. At the start her confidence was low and she often asked for help with work which was within her capability.

Over the last 18 months, her tutors have been delighted to see her develop into a confident, independent learner. She not only completes all assessments to a high standard but is supportive of other learners and balances the demands of her courses, placement and very busy homelife.

She is now developing strong leadership skills, often taking the lead in class activities. When she started studying, Siema lacked concentration. It is great to see how focused she has now become. 

Siema intends to complete her Supporting Teaching and Learning – Level 3 course next year and achieve Level 2 in Maths and English so that she can work as a teaching assistant.