[relevant-to-adsense]It’s not often I rant and rave about things but I’m afraid I can’t let a rather disturbing issue go by without telling you.  Firstly, we all know how difficult it is to find the ideal job.  Many of us are quite content with our current job and that’s fine.  However, those who are out of work and going that extra mile to make themselves more employable by attending evening classes, college courses, online courses (including Vision2Learn or Open University) should be encouraged and not disadvantaged.

You may or may not know much about the Open University but did you know that it is the largest higher education institution in the UK and a world leader in flexible distance learning.  It’s courses are open to all and there is funding available for those households earning a combined income of up to £30,000 (however this may change if the Government gets their way!).  It is possible for adults to gain a University degree (part time and from the comfort of their own home) in 6 years or less.

To cut a long story short, the Government is trying to cut corners again which can lead to the only truly ‘Open’ university to shelve many of its courses and/or severely increase the fees.  If this is allowed to take place, it can severely damage any chances of thousands of British adults of ever getting a decent job.

It doesn’t matter whether you are currently studying at the Open University or whether you are considering studying with them, you can make a difference to both yours and thousands of others’ future.  If you have already studied and gained a degree from the Open University in the past then you will be in a better position to understand the damaging implications of the Government’s intended cuts.

If you feel as strongly about this as I do, please follow the link to the e-petition and join thousands of others by signing the petition.  For the government to take any notice there needs to be 100,000 petitioners.  As of this post, there are currently 34,868 petitioners.  However, with your help we can help to overturn the Government’s decisions.

If you are going to petition, then please do so soon.

If you want to know more about the Open University’s courses, please visit their site at www3.open.ac.uk/study/ .  if you are on a low income, you may even be able to get your course paid for.  Although the deadline for many courses for 2012 has passed, there are many others available which start around May 2012 but you will need to apply fairly soon to get any chance of a place.