On 16th November 2017 we welcomed students from sixth forms across the region at St. James’ Park for our first student conference. We wanted to inform and inspire students about their higher education choices ahead of the UCAS deadline (or in advance for those in year 12!).
The day began with a session from David Hodgson who encouraged students to think about the way they approach their work and their goals. Students also took part in a personality quiz and learnt how they can use their personality types to their advantage when thinking about making big decisions about their futures.
Our higher education ambassadors delivered sessions showcasing the range of higher education options available in the North East, in addition to discussing their own experiences of higher education. They covered the full range of options such as degrees, apprenticeships, HNC/HNDs etc.
Our second workshop was delivered by the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge (ASK) project who showed students the range of apprenticeships available that lead to a higher education qualification and gave practical advice on how to get there. Students became recruiters as they scored applications to apprenticeships. When it comes to writing their own application, we’re sure they’ll put this practice to good use.
The final session of the day was delivered by Olympian Chris Cook, who told his story about how we went from attending a school in the North East, to swimming in the Olympics. Chris advised students to ‘dream big, start small’ and encouraged them to keep going as they’ll be amazed at what they can achieve. The session was a wonderful way to end the day and inspired us all to follow our dreams.
We’d like to thank everyone who attended the day and made it such a success!
