Coronavirus update
The original Association of British Correspondence Colleges, now the Association of Distance Learning Colleges, was founded as a response to wartime conditions in the 1940s. It almost feels as if we are at war again, but with an invisible and intangible enemy.
We are very proud to say that all our Member Colleges are soldiering on, as you might say. Our industry is of course peculiarly well adapted to working from home; most tutors and course writers do this anyway, and many of the smaller Colleges are family-run and based at the family home. The bigger organisations have worked quickly to transfer everything from an office set-up to home working, and students’ courses have suffered no disruption. Indeed, many learners are finding that all this enforced leisure can be used to progress their studies, and many Member Colleges are experiencing a surge in enquiries.
Several of our Member Colleges are offering discounts or bursaries, to help people start or continue with courses even if their income has taken a knock. Some Colleges have blogged advice – how to cope with home working, home studying and kids! Some have even spoken on local radio about the challenge and their response.
As I write we have no idea how long this strange situation will last, or what will be the outcome, but we can only, in the rather trite words of the famous wartime poster, Keep Calm and Carry On.