Graduation Tales | Dyslexia diagnosis helps Luke achieve first-class honours

This week, the International Convention Centre Wales in Newport will once again see thousands of our graduates cross the stage in their cap and gown. To celebrate, we are sharing the stories of some of our inspirational students.

Luke Thomas always knew there was something 'not quite right' when he was trying to achieve a pass in his English GCSE.

But, having gone through school without his issues being identified, the 23-year-old from Tonypandy was in a law lecture at the University of South Wales (USW) when senior lecturer Ros Welch saw something in Luke that reminded her of challenges she had seen with other people.

Taking Ros's advice, Luke underwent a test for dyslexia, which came back positive, with the outcome helping him to identify his learning challenges and ensure he achieved a first-class honours degree in Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management.

Getting the diagnosis gave Luke a way to prove he was capable of overcoming academic challenges.

"It took me quite a few times to get a C in my English language GCSE, about four or five times it took me," Luke said. "I was confident at maths and got a pass, but trying to overcome my English GCSE didn't work for me, and I knew something wasn't right.

"I was more confident with my coursework but had trouble when it came to exams because I couldn't put the words down on paper fast enough. But the dyslexia test showed that I'm below average in my writing speed, so knowing that meant I could get the support I needed with my studies."

Having the diagnosis meant Luke could access Disability Support Allowance, get a specialist support study tutor from USW, and have access to software that helped him with his writing. Added to this, Luke has been helped by his employer ChandlerKBS, an independent consultancy specialising in cost management services. He started working for them after carrying out work experience for the company during his GCSE studies.

As part of his apprenticeship, the company paid for him to do his degree part-time through Network 75 – a combined work placement and part-time study route to a degree allowing students to apply their academic knowledge to real-life work.

ChandlerKBS is a company that Luke sees himself progressing in long-term.

"I really enjoy working for ChandlerKBS; because of the variety of work available at the company, there's a lot of exposure to the different sectors that can help me progress my profession in quantity surveying, such as the utility, rail and hospitality sectors, so there are plenty of options for me to develop in the future," he said.