National Extension College

National Extension College - Distance Learning Courses in Business, Book-keeping, Childcare & Counselling

The National Extension College, also known by its acronym NEC, is a long-standing and highly regarded pioneer of flexible distance learning solutions designed to make learning accessible to anyone, anywhere.

Founded in 1963 as a pilot for the Open University, NEC is an educational charity belonging to the Open School Trust. With the mission of providing training and "second-chance learning" opportunities to those who do not have the possibility of attending regular classroom courses, they have over 50 years of experience in developing training materials for individual home study and distance learning purposes. At the same time, they have worked extensively to provide learning resources to numerous training providers, schools and colleges, as well as designing learning programmes for organisations across the public and private sectors.

As well as offering an extensive range of GCSE and A Level courses, NEC's porfolio of distance learning programmes covers the following areas:

• Business & Management
• Book-keeping
• Child Care and Early Years
• Counselling
• Creativity & the Arts

All of the courses on offer are characterised by two principles: innovation and commitment. Indeed, NEC makes sure to keep on top of the latest technological developments in order to find new ways to innovate their products, making learning as enjoyable and enriching as possible. At the same time, they are highly committed to each and every one of their learners, supporting them throughout the entire learning process with extensive advice and guidance as well as a professional, honest approach. The ultimate goal is to provide everyone with the high quality, flexible training resources they need to succeed, whatever their life circumstances or specific goals may be.

Collaborating to promote training and education across society

NEC is a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to make education and training accessible to all. This is pursued not only through their bespoke distance learning courses, but also via their collaboration with other well-respected organisations in the educational sector, which include NIACE, the European Association for Distance Learning (EADL) and the UK's major awarding bodies.