Students were able to explore a variety of post-College options at Havant & South Downs College’s (HSDC) Higher Education (HE) & Employment Fair last week.
Approx. 1,500 students attended the annual event on 27 September, which gave students the chance to find out more about specific university courses, apprenticeship programmes and volunteering opportunities. Students spent the morning gathering information, building contacts and talking to the expert exhibitors about their next steps.
The College showcased its own university courses at the Fair, giving students the opportunity to speak to lecturers about continuing their studies at HSDC. The College offers the largest Higher Education provision within a Further Education setting locally.
The event is part of the Careers and Higher Education Programme delivered by the College, which includes HE awareness events organised through the Southern Universities Network.
Representatives attended from over 60 universities and employment sectors nationwide, and they stated how impressed they were with the students they spoke to:
Brad Gayler from the University of Portsmouth said, ‘It was a pleasure to speak to so many enthusiastic students from Havant & South Downs College. Students already had a strong understanding of the pathways they wanted to follow, and it was great to be able to guide them further in the right direction.’
Caroline Tracey from the University of Southampton, said, “The University of Southampton were delighted to meet many HSDC students at the fair. The students were well prepared with interesting questions about the degree courses on offer and life as a university student”.
Kirsty McDonald from the University of St Andrews said, “A lovely Fair which was very well attended by enthusiastic students! Despite the distance to St Andrews, students were keen to learn about studying in Scotland and I fielded excellent questions throughout the day”.
BAE, who attended said, “This was one of the most enjoyable events I’ve been to as the students showed genuine interest in BAE Systems and careers with us”.
HE Manager at the College, Dom Thompson, said, “Having 60 plus universities and employers in addition to our own HE courses was a great opportunity for students to see all the potential future options available to them. Approximately 1,500 students attended from the Havant & South Downs Campuses and the feedback from the exhibitors was exceptional”.