In October we organised a college trip to the open day at Teesside University. This was aimed at our second year Level 3 students, as well as mature learners on access courses, who are considering higher education as a progression route. We organise this trip each year to tie in with the UCAS application process which is managed by our careers team. We deliver a programme of related sessions to support with the application and manage the whole UCAS application process.
A significant majority of our students are interested in local institutions such as Teesside University, so this experience supports with their decision making. Students attended from a range of subject areas including health and social care, childcare, IT, games and media, access to health and access to social science.
Students were able to attend a range of talks on course information, student finance and university life. They had the opportunity to speak with staff from different subject areas and ask key questions about their course of interest, entry requirements and work placements, for example. They also attended various tours to get a first-hand look at the on-site facilities and accommodation.
Gatsby Benchmarks:
This trip links to Gatsby Benchmark 7, focusing on Encounters with Higher Education. It provided students with the learning opportunities to find out about routes into higher education, speak directly with the university and identify choices for their UCAS application.
This benchmark has scored lower over the last two years due to COVID-19 so this trip and future ones will help to increase the overall percentage.
Impact:
50 students attended the open day at Teesside University. The impact this has on their choices can be seen through the UCAS sessions we deliver, and we will see further impact once applications have been sent by the deadline on January 25th 2023.
