This paper investigates the experiences of a group of mature students as they move from a Foundation degree in Teaching and Learning Support to a progression route, the BA (Honours) in Teaching Learning and Mentoring. This piece of action research employs student narratives as a means of gaining some understanding of individual and specific experiences of transition between programmes with a view to enhancing the experience for future cohorts. The student experiences are considered within the broader framework of the political and educational agenda of life-long learning, and the paper concludes with a discussion of the pedagogic value of the use of narrative as a means of preparing both student and tutor for such a transition.