Eyes on the Prize
18th January 2017
All of Melbourn Village College’s Year 9 students were given options guidance with a difference when they attended a university careers morning.
Ahead of selecting their GCSE subjects, the cohort attended an Eyes on the Prize day hosted by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in Cambridge.
They were among around 1500 13 and 14-year-olds at the annual three-day event, which aims to help students:
• Understand how GCSE options and the grades they achieve will impact their future
• Understand more about future opportunities for study and employment
• Ask questions about the subjects and courses they might like to study in the future
• Look around a university campus and meet some university students
The day started in a lecture theatre where students were encouraged to think about their journey through education and about the fact that as technology develops so quickly they might be doing jobs in ten years’ time that don’t even exist now.
A visit to a careers fair and a tour of the ARU campus followed and the students were really positive about their experience.
Faith Crockford said: “It was very informative and gave you a better look to the future.”
Arthur Gomm commented: “It made you much more aware of the apprenticeships around and I’d like to get one in construction or plumbing. Lots of my friends, who hadn’t thought about going to university before, are saying now they really want to.”
As Mitch McCabe pointed out: “It opened my eyes to going to university.”
Work Experience co-ordinator, Amanda Davis, who organised the trip, said: “This is the fourth year that we have taken students to ‘Eyes on the Prize’ and the organisation of the event and experience for the students improves year on year. The Year 9s enjoyed their campus tour including the Student Union, the gym and the Mumford Theatre, with the forensic science facilities once again inspiring the most interest. The Careers Fair offered a varied mix of representatives from sixth forms, employers and local universities available to answer the students’ questions and help them start to build ideas about their ambitions and career aspirations.”
.jpg)