Ellie Young

A full time mum-of-three who went back to college to retrain as a midwife has encouraged others like her to do the same.

Ellie Young, from Yarm, decided to follow her dream of becoming a midwife, and when her youngest daughter started school she jumped at the chance to do an Access to Health course at Middlesbrough College.

And now, having gone on to study at a top university, Ellie has swapped being a full time mum for being a full time midwife at Middlesbrough’s James Cook University hospital.

She explained: “I chose to come back to education as I decided it was my time to do something with my life and I always wanted to be a midwife.

“I found out that I could do an Access course as the first step towards becoming a midwife. It was meant to be.”

Ellie was supported by Middlesbrough College’s expert tutors in the on-campus Health and Care Ward.

Students are given an ultra-realistic experience and are trained by healthcare professionals who help them understand contemporary health care issues.

Ellie added: “The course was amazing. I was out of education for a long time so it was daunting coming back to study.

“I was supported all the way through, I cannot fault the course at all and I can’t recommend it enough.

“The flexible working hours worked really well for me as my husband is self- employed.

“If you are thinking about returning to education, do it. The Access course is one year and I managed to do it with a husband and three kids! Not only did it make a difference to me but it made a difference to my family.

“I’ve had fantastic support from them and I’m chuffed to make them proud.”

Ellie’s success at Middlesbrough College led her to secure a place on the midwifery course at the University of York.

With eight months of voluntary work at James Cook University Hospital under her belt and despite a competitive jobs market she landed the full time role in October last year.

Ellie added: “I always liked the idea of caring for people; it’s an ideal profession for me as I love coming home from work knowing that I have made a difference to someone’s life.”

Course: Access to HE in Health

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