LEARNING can be done at any age and being old certainly doesn’t have to mean that it’s no longer an option. It just means you may have to go about it in a different way or juggle it with your job, family and life.

This week is Adult Learners’ Week, an event held each May to encourage thousands of adults, whatever their age and background, to give learning a go.

At the University of Worcester, student Horace Coward could have been forgiven for thinking it was too late for him to take up learning something new, having passed his 79th birthday.

But Mr Coward – who left school aged 15 – is completing a degree.

He has proved it is never too late to return to the classroom.

Like so many young men in 1946, Mr Coward left school without any qualifications in search of a job and an income.

Sixty-four years later, he is completing a degree in sociology, and is looking forward to graduating alongside his granddaughter Zoe, who is completing a degree in early childhood studies at Worcester.

“Coming to university has made me feel 20 years younger,” he said.

“I’m just another student. No one has ever said anything about my age and I have felt like I really belong.”

The University of Worcester has a large proportion of mature students studying across a range of full and part-time courses.

Mr Coward, of Little Hill, Droitwich, decided to return to the classroom in 2002, following the death of his wife.

He said: “I spent eight-and-a-half years looking after my wife. When she passed away I wanted to put that energy into something else. I didn’t want to just sit and watch TV, do the garden, and wait for the undertaker to come knocking. I decided I wanted to grasp each day and live it to the full.”

Mr Coward, who worked more than 20 years as a forklift truck driver, took an opportunity to produce a 4,500-word research paper at Oxford University.

The fully-paid-for 10-week course was organised by the Ransackers Project which provides educational opportunities for people between the ages of 55 and 82.

He then went on to complete a GCSE in sociology at college before joining the University of Worcester’s BA sociology course part-time, in 2005.

“I was anxious about getting back in the classroom,” he said.

“Education has changed so much since I was at school. But everyone has been wonderful in helping me to catch up.”

In his spare time, he helps children improve their reading skills at Westlands First School in Droitwich, as well as being an active member of a number of local committees and groups.

He said he is living proof that it is never too late to get back into education. “I go to several groups and talk about what I have done and to prove to them that they can do it too,” he said. “The number of people who say ‘I wish I could be like you’ is amazing and I tell them they can.”

For information on courses at the University of Worcester, visit worcester.ac.uk or for application enquiries telephone 01905 855111 or e-mail admissions@worc.ac.uk.

● Worcester College of Technology is also celebrating Adult Learners’ Week. The college in Deansway was commended last year by inspectors for its high success rate and excellent support for adult learners and this week has achieved Matrix Standard, which recognises effective delivery of information, advice and guidance on learning and work.

This week, several students from the college were waiting to find out if they had won an award from the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE).

Each year the institute receives more than 1,000 nominations from colleges, businesses, adult education providers, museums and libraries.

Worcester College of Technology students Dan Turner, Ben Plant, Wendy O’Mahoney and Wayne Plant – all studying level two City and Guilds professional cookery – have been nominated for a group award as well as individual ones.

Worcestershire Woman of the Year Mary Cull, who coaches the students, said: “We have high hopes that they will have won an award, but they are all winners in our estimation and their own confidence and self-belief has soared as a result of undertaking the course.”

Tomorrow, the college will host a drop-in session for all adults, and visitors between 9.30am and 3.30pm to speak to an adult adviser about career options and choosing the best course for them.

On Friday, the college will release a newsletter celebrating the achievements of its adult learners to inspire anyone wanting to get back into learning.

To receive a copy, visit the college website wortech.ac.uk.

● Information for adult learning is available from Nextstep West Midlands.

The service, launched in 2008, offers anyone over the age of 20 help with employment, training and learning, putting together CVs, interview skills and searching for jobs and course directories.

For more information, contact Nextstep West Midlands on 08000 217244 or visit nextstep westmidlands.org.uk.