Released on: June 13, 2008, 6:37 am

Press Release Author: Mary Stuart-Miller

Industry: Education

Press Release Summary: Europe's leading IT home study college SkillsTrain has come
up with the top ten reasons why students opt for studying at home, with career
advancement being the most frequent reason and the need to earn while they learn
being almost as high in the list. For mature students, the fear of returning to a
conventional college and the need to fit skills around a family are also significant
concerns.

Press Release Body: In a world where workplace skills are increasingly necessary for
career advancement, top UK distance learning college, SkillsTrain, has come up with
the top ten most common reasons why those returning to study after an education gap
sign up for `home study'.

1. Want to improve job and career prospects
2. Can't afford to give up work / want to earn a salary at the same time as learning
3. Want to earn more money
4. Have family commitments to fit study around
5. Need a qualification for promotion
6. Want to prove to themselves they can do it
7. Because they left school with no formal qualifications
8. To do something useful with their time
9. Want the flexibility of studying in own time, not at college
10. Feel too old go back to college

SkillsTrain, who specialise in distance learning courses for IT professionals, web
designers and book-keepers, say that those who have a break after leaving school
find it the most difficult to get themselves back into studying.

Myra Smallman, SkillsTrain Principal, said "Older students, even if they've only
been away from full time education for a couple of years, find it hardest to return
to studying. Many of them will have much greater financial commitments than when
they were at school or college, they find the discipline of a college itinerary hard
to stick to and a lot of our students have already started families".

With the majority of students in their mid-twenties and older, SkillsTrain's success
stories include 45 year old mother of one, Catherine Cutts from Worksop, who
achieved the International Association of Book-keeper's Computerised Payroll exam
with a 96% pass rate, an A+ grade, the country's top result for that exam in June
2007.

Myra Smallman continued "Studying from home or at work these days is a far cry from
years ago. Live Internet Training is now a big part of our curriculum, bringing the
classroom right into people's homes and PC based `e-learning' makes it much easier
to grasp a concept or learn a skill".

SkillsTrain are Europe's leading provider of IT skills training and the company has
trained over 6 million students during the past 60 years.

End.

Web Site: http://www.skillstrainuk.com

Contact Details: Press contact, Mary Stuart-Miller. 01403 738844.
m.stuart-miller@virgin.net