Add to ORKGThis paper draws attention to the experiences of students in colleges of further education in contemporary Wales, tracing their 'learning journeys' over a two-year period from September 2005 to July 2007. Drawing from an in-depth qualitative study, data confirm that the learning journeys upon which students embarked had their own antecedents rooted in, for example, disparate experiences of schooling and employment and, that during their studies, many learners led and managed complex private lives. Thus, being a learner had to be accommodated within students' wider lives and circumstances and often involved overcoming significant barriers to engaging in formal learning. From the vast array of data collected, here a focus group and two learne...