Co. Down consultant says OU has been “the backbone” of lifelong learning journey 

In the early 1980s, Frank from Co. Down, sat watching Open University lectures on BBC2 that would quietly shape the next four decades of his life.  

Recently he graduated at Croke Park in Dublin with an MSc in Technology Management from The Open University. A milestone built over years of work, persistence and belief.   

His first encounter with the OU came not through a prospectus or campus visit, but through “very inspiring early 1980s lectures on BBC2.” They planted a seed and showed him that higher education could fit around real life. Even as his career progressed into senior leadership, and Frank established himself as a self-employed Business and Management Consultant, this idea of flexible learning never left him.  

Unlike many students, Frank wasn’t looking for a first step into employment. He was already leading, advising and delivering at a high level. But he didn’t want to stand still. In the fast-moving field of technology and management, experience alone is sometimes not enough. The MSc was a way for Frank to test himself, sharpen his thinking and formalise his experience.  

Flexibility was crucial. “Accessibility and flexibility,” Frank says simply, explaining what drew him to the OU. As someone self-employed, financial and time pressures are always close to the surface. “Every pound is a prisoner,” he explains. Study had to fit around work, not compete with it. There was no typical study day. Learning happened early in morning, late at night and in the gaps in-between client work. His degree was built module by module over several years. That flexibility proved to be critical during significant life changes, but when challenges arose, The Open University’s student support team helped him navigate them. They ensured temporary setbacks did not stop him completing his degree. Study had to fit around life and the ability to pause and continue as needed made that possible.  

Frank financed his studies personally, supported by a student loan. Importantly, each stage of the degree bought its own reward. The postgraduate diploma he achieved on the way to his MSc opened the door to a funded programme at another university. Before he’d even finished his studies, he had already made progress towards that first goal inspired by those BBC broadcasts decades earlier.  

Beyond his professional work, Frank is deeply engaged in his community. He serves on several committees, including one focused on creating pathways to employability for people furthest from the job market, and he volunteers as a STEM Ambassador. For Frank, education is practical and transformative. It equips people to change their lives and circumstances, just as it has strengthened his own.  

When asked what studying with the OU says about someone, his answer is direct: “Someone who is earnestly doing this knows how to get things done.” Balancing independent study with work and life demands discipline, organisation and persistence. Those qualities are sought after and remain even after the qualification is complete.  

Frank is honest about his journey. There have been “as many failures as successes.” What he has gained, above all though, is the ability to “grind out a win.” That resilience, the capacity to keep moving forward through twists and turns, may be his most valuable qualification of all.  

As he crossed the stage in Dublin, it was hard not to think back to those evenings in the 1980s watching lectures on a TV screen and how far Frank has come since. The journey has not been rushed, or even straightforward, but it has been sustained over decades of self-belief, hard work and a university built to fit around real life.   

As Frank puts it, “It’s as real as it gets.”