GHWY Beyond Care Network No.7: Wakefield College in the spotlight

Welcome to January's edition of Go Higher West Yorkshire's Care to Go Higher Newsletter. We aim to connect those working with care experienced young people across the region to Higher Education (HE) through regular monthly news, events and updates.

National Apprenticeship Week, an annual celebration of apprenticeships, will run nationally between 7-13 February. In advance of this we highlight a number of useful resources, including details of apprenticeships that are available across our 13 member institutions.

As always, we're looking for news stories, resources or upcoming events to promote. If you have anything to share from your institution then please g et in touch .

News

New Collaborative Outreach Officer welcomedWe are pleased to welcome Tahera Mayat as our new Collaborative Outreach Officer. She will lead on work with under-represented groups, including care experienced and estranged young people.She has previously worked as an Education Outreach Fellow at the University of Leeds and is currently completing a PhD.She has spent almost a decade in Higher Education in some capacity as a student and/or employee so never really left a university environment! Read more.

UCAS application deadline

Applications for all UCAS undergraduate courses should be submitted by 26 January (except those with a 15 October deadline).

Remember that young people can tick a box on their UCAS application to let universities or colleges know they have been in care.

This confidential information is not assessed as part of the application but it does let the institutions know that the individual may require support. The student support teams may then get in touch to discuss options that are available.

Read more.

Upcoming higher education events

15 January - Land and Animal Sciences open event, Leeds City College
19 January - Bradford School of Art Careers Event, Bradford College
19 January - Campus tour, University of Huddersfield
29 January - Open event, Leeds City College

Various dates throughout January - Open days, Kirklees College
16 February - Open event, Wakefield College
17 February - Open Evening, Calderdale College
17 February - Open event, Leeds College of Building

Spotlight on University Centre at Wakefield College

Support offered at the University Centre

Wakefield College and University Centre Wakefield prides itself on being inclusive and endeavours to tailor its support to the specific needs of the individual wherever possible. This includes a range of services and specific support for those who are care experienced. 

Read more.

Higher Education guide

This useful guide provides information about academic and professional courses that run at University Centre at Wakefield College. It also provides statistics about student satisfaction and definitions of the different types of qualification.

Read more.

Care leaver story

Read about a care leaver student who has been at the University Centre and discover their story.

Read more.

Virtual campus tour

Find out more about the University Centre in this video narrated by Clare Hagerup, Director of HE.

Watch video.

You can also view the facilities from the air!

Latest HE sector updates

Teacher training: ITT applications fall by 23%

The latest data on initial teacher training shows that applications are down by 23% compared with last year. One sector leader has warned that "pandemics or recessions" cannot be relied upon to ensure a high-quality supply of teachers.

Read more.

Universities making offers on 'first-in-family' status may widen inequalities

Universities that use "first-in-family status" when making offers to students risk intensifying "existing education inequalities," a report suggests.

Read more.

Focus on "apprenticeship" resources

Higher and Degree Apprenticeships

A comprehensive list of the current offer from our partner HE institutions. Details are regularly updated.

Read more.

Apprenticeship guide for care experienced young people

This guide contains information about everything from apprenticeship delivery to careers support.Read more.

Apprenticeships or Degree Apprenticeships: What does it all mean?

An informative presentation that covers the A-Z of apprenticeships, including how to apply.

Read more.

Standing items

View the GHWY Care Leaver Covenant

All 13 HE partners have signed up to the GHWY Care Leaver Covenant, demonstrating their ongoing commitment to this group.

View the Covenant

Download our resource pack here

GHWY has created a resource pack on higher education that is available for those working with children in care.

Register for the pack

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Click here to see our Care Leaver work and previous articles