Case Study: Worcester University

Event: Worcester university

Number of pupils attending: 4

Aim of the Activity

Our Careers Lead Paula Collins arranged for our pupils to visit our local University.

The visit is planned for students to:

The workings of a workplace visit
Raise students’ aspirations
Encounters with further and higher education
Linking Gatsby Benchmark 2, 3, 4 and 7.

Activity

Pupils were really nervous for their visit to Worcester University, which is based in Worcester as this was taking them completely out of their comfort one.

The University of Worcester is a public research university, based in Worcester, England. Worcester is the only university based in the counties of Worcestershire and Herefordshire. With a history dating back to 1946, the university began awarding degrees in 1997 and was granted full university status in 2005

We arrived prompt at 10am as we wanted to make a good impression and were greeted by Olivia in the main area of reception. We were then taken to one of their lecture rooms and watched a PowerPoint presentation which gave an overview of the University.

Olivia and Mollie spoke to the students about the day in a life of a student/ learner., how they manage their own learning, sort out their own study load and become a lot more independent.

We were taken on a tour of the University by 4 young ladies Olivia, Mollie, Cirea and Chloe, the students were able to see the facilities that they have to offer, cafes, restaurants, The hangar Bar for socialising, study rooms and The Pearson centre where there is support for accommodation, equipment, wellbeing and careers advice. The students were shown around accommodation which they soon realised were named after trees Elm, Chestnut, Cedar, Oak etc.

The pupils were fascinated by the whole experience.

The ladies informed the students that many students complete work experience to support their learning, they also may seek employment to support their time at university as money can be a struggle. We discussed the different courses available, and the job opportunities that would come from attending university.

Impact of Activity

The students were engaged throughout and had never experienced anything like this. It showed them what they could achieve if they put their minds to it. The visit also exposed the students to different opportunities to put their education first and achieve their goals.

Whilst there we also took the opportunity to look at the different job roles there are at the University. Lecturers, grounds keepers, cleaners as well as finance and café workers. This showed the university in a totally different life as you could either work there or attend and gave the pupils something to think about.

Quotes from the Students

How much does a year at university cost?
What happens if I don’t go to lectures
Can I defer?
What work placements are there?
Is there an age limit?
How much does it cost to live on campus?

The visit couldn’t have gone any better. It gave our students a unique experience, one they won’t forget, as well as giving them the inspiration to see where they could study in the future, with the addition that the tour guides were only a few years older than themselves. The guides did emphasis that it really is worth putting the effort in now as it will benefit them later. (Which really is not that long) They knew nothing about the University before they visited and now, they could see what sort of opportunities were available to them.