Motivated by a desire to support her son who was born with various medical conditions and who has special educational needs, Rubi enrolled at Tameside Adult and Community Education (ACE) to learn English. She is now inspiring and supporting others in her community to return to learning too.  

When my son was born I knew I needed to learn English to support him, to speak to the health visitor about his medical condition and later to support him with his own learning. I wanted to able to go to the doctor without my husband’s support, and open the door at home if someone knocked so I can see who is there and what they want.

I started my learning journey in 2012 at Tameside ACE with ESOL Entry Level 1, and progressed to Functional Skills Level 1. This was a great achievement for me and once I was able to understand English I started maths and IT courses as well. Since then I have joined Tameside College and achieved my maths GCSE and Teaching Assistant Level 2 and 3. I now have a full time job as a teaching assistant.

Learning has made me happier, more confident and independent, and better able to look after my son.  My family respect me and my views more now, as I used to be silent. Now I am educated, I see things in a positive light and help others do the same. I support and encourage my friends to put their names down for learning at Tameside ACE as I can see how it could impact their lives too.