Nursing Webinar

This online event will feature three sessions that will allow participants to gain insight into the nursing profession in Wales. The sessions include information from healthcare professionals in NHS Wales, sharing why they chose nursing as a career. The event will also explore the various pathways into nursing and there will be an opportunity to ask questions to university admissions tutors in Wales as well as current students from the four types of nursing.

Wednesday 9  October, 2024 16:00 – 18:00 Register here

The Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award, known as iDEA is an international award winning programme that helps you develop digital, enterprise and employability skills for free. Especially useful for anyone interested in Business/ IT / Tech / Entrepreneurship.

https://idea.org.uk/

MOOCs

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are free online courses available for anyone to enrol. MOOCs provide an affordable and flexible way to learn new skills, advance your career and deliver quality educational experiences at scale. They are useful in developing your understanding of a topic beyond the A Level curriculum. 

For those interested in a career in Medicine, the Widening Access to Medicine Mentoring Scheme (WAMMS)  now has a monthly newsletter, full of tips and advice for aspiring medics. Please subscribe via the following link: Sign up here

There’s a fantastic opportunity with the organisation tutor2u who are offering a new Free Online Course for all Sixth Form students. The course includes a mix of videos, engaging activities and resource downloads and covers:

• An overview of the options for students beyond their time in sixth form

• Finding out more – suggested research links

• Advice on how to make strong applications to higher education institutions

• How to complete an effective personal statement

• Specialist higher education applications (including Oxbridge, medicine etc)

• All about apprenticeships

• Gap years

• Student finances – a practical guide

Use the link here to register: Studentshttps://ondemand.tutor2u.net/students/beyond-sixth-form-skills-booster

Applications for the Social Mobility Foundation’s free Aspiring Professionals Programme 2025 cohort are now open. 

Aspiring Professionals Programme (APP)

The APP supports high achieving Year 12 students from low income backgrounds across the UK to access top universities and careers. We offer support through our four pillars:

1.    Mentoring by a professional

2.    Tailored skills sessions and career workshops

3.    University application support and guidance

4.    Internships with top employers

How students receive our four pillars of support is dependent on where they live. Please see below for further details of the programmes we offer.

Apply by 12 noon, Friday 13th December 2024 by completing the application form.

Application form and resources

Click the links below to access information and resources.

Watch this video to hear from SMF students

Complete the Application Form here. 

Speakers for Schools has a range of work experience opportunities, just be aware some are aimed at students in England - especially the Healthcare ones which relate to NHS England. Use the link here to see whether there’s anything relevant to you. 

Gresham College has a series of lectures by different Professors; October’s lectures include: 

• European Security: Building for the Long Term, Baroness Catherine Ashton, Mon, 07 Oct 2024

• Much Ado About Numbers: Shakespeare’s Mathematical Life and Time, Rob Eastaway, Wed, 09 Oct 2024

General advice

Discover Uni is a government-funded facility which has data on nearly every university and their courses. You can find the entry data of students who joined a degree course and the percentage of those students who entered with particular grades - if you have the same grades then your chances are higher than if you have lower grades.try the website here: Discover Uni. 

Many universities have got upcoming Open Days so make sure you have a look at the places you think you may want to study at. I’ve just put the links for our most popular destinations’ Open Days below as well as the Open Days calendar. 

To make sure you understand the grades you might need for courses you’re interested in and confirm entry requirements please use the following website: https://www.whatuni.com/ Ask your LC to look at courses with you if you’re not sure whether you might need specific subjects/grades for a course you are considering.

Reading University has some upcoming on campus Taster Days:

• Psychology: Tuesday 29th October

The sessions will be run by our academics and will cover a range of topics such as “The Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis” with a focus on the relationship between physical health and nutrition on cognitive function.

• Accounting: Wednesday 30th October

Discover how these courses are taught at Reading through enjoying sample sessions and hearing directly from staff. The Taster Day also offers the exclusive opportunity to meet senior leaders at PwC, the UK's leading professional services organisation, and hear about our shared Flying Start Degree Programme.

• Architecture: Wednesday 30th October

Experience a typical architecture studio through hands-on design and model making exercises. You will take part in a workshop dedicated to visualising space and structure and lectures will cover the role of the sketchbook and the preparation of the architecture portfolio.

To sign up for the above, please follow the booking links found on our website.

They offer Travel Bursaries that prospective students may apply for to cover the entire cost of travel.

You have to fulfil at least one of the following criteria:

1. First generation to study at undergraduate level

2. Living  in an identified postcode area which has low progression into HE (POLAR quintiles 1 or 2).

3. Living in a postcode area which is identified as being an area of social deprivation (WIMD Quintile 1 or 2 – see here).  

4. Has a disability.

5. Is care-experienced or estranged (Care experienced & estranged students support page definitions). 

Cardiff University have a few different opportunities coming up:

• An Open Day coming up on the 19th October, use the link here to register.

• Their Pathways to Law and Pathways to Engineering programme for which applications are opening soon. These programmes are run at Cardiff University in partnership with the Sutton Trust, a charity championing social mobility.  Since launching in 2020, they have welcomed over 150 students to the programme. 

What exactly is Pathways? 

Participants on the pathways programmes have the opportunity to: 

• Complete work experience with a local or national company – think barristers chambers and leading engineering firms 

• Visit campus and take part in exclusive academic workshops with academics from Cardiff University 

• Attend a National Conference residential during the school holidays 

• Access Sutton Trust Online – a fantastic online resource with tailored webinars and events 

• Meet current university students and hear the real story 

• Meet like-minded peers and make friends 

• So much more – all for free! 

What do participants gain? 

• A network of university staff, industry professionals and peers. 

• Experiences for CV, personal statements and interviews 

• Any participant that completes one of the Pathways programmes will be eligible for a contextual offer. Find out more here. 

• Information and guidance on applying to and attending university 

• Skill development 

• There is no cost to participants to take part in the programme.

Who can apply? 

Students must:

• Be in Year 12

• Attend a state school

Live within a 90-minute commute to Cardiff University.  

Applications are now open; participants can apply here. Applications will close on Monday 4th November. They also look at a range of other criteria and generally, the more criteria a participant meets, the more likely they are to get a place. You can find out more here. 

• Cardiff University’s Step-Up Programme. Applications are now open for year 12 students. 

They have 20 spaces available on the programme for eligible year 12 students

About the Programme  

Step Up is a free, academic programme supporting year 12 college and sixth form students from under-represented backgrounds who are considering Higher Education. The programme helps eligible students build the skills and confidence in order to thrive in Higher Education.   

Students will attend weekly academic masterclasses in a chosen subject, giving them the opportunity to experience university life and learning in a safe and welcoming environment.  

Programme Details  

Six weeks of Masterclasses will be led by academic tutors on Cardiff University Campus. Masterclasses will be held weekly from 5-7pm beginning in February 2025.  

Students can choose one of the following areas of study:  

- Healthcare Sciences 

- Humanities 

- Law, Politics and Social Sciences 

- Medicine  

- Dentistry  

- Language, Literature and Communication   

-Business and Economics 

- Science, Technology and Maths   

Benefits  

Benefits of the scheme include and contextual offers (subject to good attendance and commitment to the programme), invites to Open Day drop ins, support with personal statements and the application process.  

Learn more about the eligibility criteria and apply for the programme using this form.   

Cambridge University, Lucy Cavendish College Academic Attainment Programme 2024-26

Lucy Cavendish College is inviting Welsh students in Year 12 to apply now for their free, online Academic Attainment Programme at www.lucy.cam.ac.uk/aap-apply by today 7th October. This programme will support students across the two years of A-Level studies to achieve the highest possible grades, and make competitive applications to top universities. The programme will begin in November 2024 and end in May 2026.

As part of the programme, students will benefit from:

• Subject-specific Enrichment Classes, led by expert teachers

• Peer Discussion Groups, to improve oracy and problem-solving skills

• Subject Taster Sessions to explore their degree options

• Advice from the Lucy Cavendish College Admissions Team on every stage of the university application process

• The opportunity to participate in a Super-Curricular Exploration Project to help them to develop your academic interests

• Subject-specific revision guidance in the lead-up to exams

Find out more and apply by 7th October here: www.lucy.cam.ac.uk/aap-apply

They also have their STEM SMART programme

Applications for the STEM SMART 2025 programme have now opened! STEM SMART (Subject Mastery and Attainment Raising Tuition) is a widening participation initiative from the University of Cambridge in association with Isaac Physics, to provide free, complementary teaching and support students who:

• attend a UK maintained school (non-fee paying school)

• have either experienced educational disadvantage or belong to a group that is statistically less likely to progress to higher education

• are considering applying to Engineering, Computer Science, Physical Sciences (eg physics, chemistry, earth sciences, materials science) or Biological Sciences (eg plant sciences, pharmacology, physiology, evolution and behaviour, biochemistry) courses at university and are studying A Levels (or equivalent) in maths and science.

For more information and the details of how to sign up please see: STEM SMART | Undergraduate Study (cam.ac.uk)

Cardiff Metropolitan

They have Open Days coming up on the 12th October and 9th November, use the link here to register. 

Swansea University

They have Open Days coming up on the 19th October and the 9th November, use the link here to register.

Bristol University’s Access to Bristol Scheme (Apply now)

The Access to Bristol scheme is for local students (this includes South Wales) taking A-levels, BTECs, Access to HE courses or equivalents. It is a unique way to experience what studying at the University of Bristol as a local student might be like, and offers a chance to discover more about a subject you are interested in from current university students and academic staff. Successful completers of the scheme will be guaranteed a contextual offer/interview from Bristol. Applications close this Sunday 6 October. 

Nottingham University 

Ambition Nottingham Programme (Apply now) 

Ambition Nottingham is a free two-year scheme for all Year 12 students from anywhere in the UK. The programme offers support and guidance to students through a variety of online sessions. Nottingham also offers the opportunity to attend their Open Days as a VIP with extra activities and support. In addition to this advice and guidance, some participants who meet additional criteria could also be eligible for additional benefits should they apply to the University of Nottingham, such as an enhanced contextual offer. Applications are open until 1st December 2024.

You might also want to check out the advice given on the ‘Better uni choices’ site which has some helpful tips on how to get the best out of attending Open Days. 

Aspire is a collection of free careers, university and further education resources. It is designed to give state-educated students the tools and knowledge they need to make more informed decisions about their future. Their ‘guide’ is a free resource, full of information and guidance, designed to inform you and help you navigate the range of careers and further education out there. Access the online version of the Guide, alongside other resources, on the Aspire website

Please sign up for Uptree here and then check out all the opportunities they have: https://schools.uptree.co/opportunities/  and also the different events they have on offer https://schools.uptree.co/events/ 

Network 75 

PwC has more information for potential accountants, business management or technology students interested in degree apprenticeships with them. Use the link  here to find out more