Two sisters, two husband and wife teams and a mother and son are just eight of the 61 graduates accepting certificates at CQU Bundaberg’s STEPS graduation ceremony.

“The family connections at this year’s graduation ceremony are reflective of the students who enrol in the course. Quite often family members from previous years encourage their siblings through sharing their experiences, like when husbands and wives start together for support,” said STEPS Bundaberg Coordinator Karen Seary STEPS is the Skills for Tertiary Education Preparatory Studies program at CQU. The program is open to adults aged 19 and over, and has been specifically designed for those who do not have a tertiary entrance qualifications,” Ms Seary said. The program consists of reading and writing and thinking effectively for academic purposes, organisational study skills, elementary mathematics, basic computer literacy, oral presentation skills and information literacy.

“We do have many students who continue to complete further studies here at CQU Bundaberg. At the university’s graduation held earlier this year, a former STEPS student graduated with top class honours and is now a CQU Bundaberg doctoral student.

Karen said the incident was not unique in anyway.

“I have found that mature aged students have a real thirst for knowledge and are determined to succeed and statistics show that this does occur. It would not surprise me at all to meet some of these STEPS graduates in the corridors of the university next year.” The students are selected for the STEPS program which is available twice a year both part time and full time on the basis of need. Preference is given to educationally disadvantaged people.