Our mission is simple: NEC seeks to widen learning occasions for learners who want flexible delivery of excellent and innovative courses. We help our students to open doors to their futures, through life-changing learning. In particular, we offer educational occasions and second-chance learning to people for whom attending regular classes at school or college would not be possible. The College was set up in 1963 by Michael Young and Brian Jackson as a forerunner for the Open University. Writing at the time, Michael Young said; “We were searching for education without institution, learning while earning, courses which people of all ages could take in their own time, at their own pace.” Today, led by 2014 TES FE Leader of the Year award winner Dr. Ros Morpeth, we are a long-standing independent educational charity and part of the Open School Trust. As well as supplying online distance learning courses directly to students, we also supply learning materials and resources to schools, colleges and training suppliers, and learning programs for companies, the government, and the rest of the public sector. For more than 55 years we have forged a reputation for the highest-quality learning materials and innovation in distance learning, alongside a deep commitment to supplying exceptional support to our learners at each stage of their learning experience. Our tried and tested infrastructure, approach and materials entirely support the wants of 21st-century learners.