Gaining the advantage with HE Partnership.

sjr90 — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 12:31:47 +0000

Organised as part of the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s HE Partnership project, the HE Getaway encourages young people to test their limits in a safe environment.

Adrenaline and enthusiasm is running high after a day of physical and mental challenges hosted by the Grafham Water Centre, Cambridgeshire. Students from four Cambridgeshire and Peterborough schools tested themselves in blindfold navigation challenges, climbing trials and team-building games, ending in a high-energy raft race.

After an overnight stay at Wyboston Lakes, the students were welcomed to the Luton campus by Trevor Sinclair from the ̽��ֱ�� of Bedfordshire’s Access Partnership Team for a day of sample lectures, workshops and campus tours.

“We view these events as a crucial part of preparing young people for entry into higher education,” Trevor said. “Sample lectures provide an early insight into life in a lecture hall. Why is this important? Those coming to university from non-traditional backgrounds can find it a challenging transition. We hope that these events help individuals to make more informed decisions in terms of their education and future careers.”

“ ̽��ֱ��facilities are amazing,” said Neal Wade Academy student Kacper, after a tour of the library, student accommodation and the cafeteria. “ ̽��ֱ��social life will be fun but it will be better to concentrate on the education part, I don’t want to screw up my exams!”

Lewis, from Sir Harry Smith Community College, wants to be an architect. He was reassured by Matt’s talk about student finance “My parents want me to go to a good university,” he said. “I want to too, to do the best I can. ̽��ֱ��educational side is important but to meet new people will be great. ̽��ֱ�� definitely feels more affordable now.”

“During the outdoor games we challenge the students to go that little bit higher, or further, than they think they can,” HE Partnership Co-Ordinator Matt Diston explains. “We encourage them to take managed risks on the high ropes, and to learn from and support each other. It’s not a very big leap the next day for them to realise that they can go a bit further in their education too, and that people like myself and Trevor are standing by with support and advice to help them take that next step.”

• Higher Education Partnership (HE Partnership) was established in 2012 in order to continue some of the most effective work that had been previously delivered through Aimhigher. ̽��ֱ��initiative aims to raise aspirations amongst students in local schools across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. We believe that together we are able to give Year 9-11 students a strong sense of their own ability and their higher education options through impartial information and advice and a wide range of activities based in schools and university departments

• ̽��ֱ��HE Partnership Co-ordinator is based in the Cambridge Admissions Office. If you are staff or a student at one of our HE Partnership schools and would like to discuss activities, or you'd like to know more about the programme, contact details for Matt are available here.

“Give it some welly,” may not be a traditional rallying cry for those considering applying to university, but the Higher Education Getaway is not a traditional programme.

We view these events as a crucial part of preparing young people for entry into higher education.

Trevor Sinclair, ̽��ֱ�� of Bedfordshire’s Access Partnership Team

Raft racing

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A job for life? Exploring engineering skills with Metalcraft and HE Partnership

sjr90 — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:22:05 +0000

Team-working and design skills were challenged in a competition to build the best crane. Ben Crawley, Ben Free, Connor Hart and Keegan Philips were clear winners, designing and building a crane that held almost nine times its own weight before collapsing.

̽��ֱ��boys are all studying GCSE Engineering at Cromwell Community College and attributed their success to reading the brief before starting to build. They are weighing up their options and deciding between aiming for university, college, or apprenticeships.

“We thought this would be a good chance to get out of school and do something different for the day,” they explained. “It has been amazing.”

Paul Beeson, Continuous Improvement Manager at Metalcraft, gave a talk about the opportunities available to skilled engineers and led the students on a tour of Metalcraft’s workshops and training centre.

“If it’s in steel or aluminium, and fabricated and welded, we can make it,” he told them. Metalcraft supplies components to the nuclear power industry and makes precision medical equipment, working mainly in stainless steel and aluminium. “Very few fabricators have the skills to work at this level,” Paul explained. “We are competing on our history, our reputation, our quality control, and the skill of our craftsmen.”

“ ̽��ֱ��lack of skilled craftsmen is one of the biggest barrier’s to our growth as a business. If you’re interested in engineering but aren’t sure that A Levels are for you, an apprenticeship is a very good choice,” Paul added. “A good, skilled worker will rarely be out of a job.”

“We look for potential apprentices with good GCSEs, who look sharp, have got practical ability and an interest in developing it,” Paul explained to the young engineers. “Within 6 months you would be doing real work under supervision, and in 2 years we’d have you out on the shop floor contributing to the success of the business.”

Engineering teacher Miss Ward, who accompanied 7 students from Neale Wade Community College, said “Getting out and about to experience local industries like Metalcraft helps our students to focus on the reasons why they’re studying at school.”

Matt Diston, HE Partnership Co-ordinator at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, said that the day was about having fun and practicing team-working, but also about providing information about routes into employment.

“You will have to stay on in education past 16,” he told the students in a final session summing up the day. “But this does not necessarily have to be at school. FE College, 6th Form College, and apprenticeships are all available to you. Some of these routes might take you straight into work; some might lead you to university later on.

“We hope you’ll start to connect the dots,” Matt added. “Why you’re studying the subjects you are at school, and the opportunities this can lead to. And the importance of developing your skills, not only your academic ones but practical skills like having a positive attitude and a readiness to work.”

Metalcraft recruit around 5 apprenticeships each year. To express an interest or find out more, write to Carly Brown at Metalcraft, Chatteris Business Park, Honeysome Lane, Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, PE16 6QY

HE Partnership is a collaborative project continuing the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s work with local schools initiated under Aimhigher. There is a particular focus within the programme on younger learners.

Year 10 students from Cromwell Community College and Neale Wade Community College enjoyed a day developing their engineering skills at Metalcraft in Chatteris organised through the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s HE Partnership project.

Students tour the Metalcraft workshop in Chatteris

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̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Neale-Wade Academy

Gaining the advantage with HE Partnership.

A job for life? Exploring engineering skills with Metalcraft and HE Partnership