Adults will now be able to study for their English and maths GCSEs for free at University College Isle of Man.

A change to UCM’s fee policy means that people who did not attain a GCSE, or equivalent, qualification, while in school can now study for them at the institution without worrying about cost.

Jesamine Kelly, principal at UCM, said: ‘English and maths are core skills that we all need, whether that’s in the workplace or in our personal lives, so we felt it was important for everyone to have the opportunity to attain these qualifications.

‘There are various reasons why people didn’t get these GCSEs when they were at school and we would like to remove any financial barriers in the way of gaining those qualifications now.’

The college will also offer courses covering ‘English for Speakers of Other Languages’ free of charge from this September.

The news comes soon after the college revealed the results of its student feedback surveys, which saw 93.1% of the students asked say that they would recommend UCM to a friend.

More than 90% of students also said that they enjoyed being a student there.

UCM says that its English and maths courses can be accessed during accessible, flexible time slots with further information available at www.ucm.ac.im/english-and-maths, enrolments will start from September 5 and are subject to availability.