Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Today’s pupils set to be tomorrow’s professionals thanks to Leeds Beckett residential
Enterprise challenges, business visits, graduate Q&A sessions, and interactive and engaging workshops were included in the four-day Tomorrow’s Professionals event, which saw pupils stay in student halls of residence.
The free annual programme is designed to encourage Year 12 pupils to explore the opportunities of higher education, and the facilities and support available at Leeds Beckett. The sessions throughout the residential were hosted at both Headingley and city campuses and covered sport, education, business, law, health and arts.
Mandeep Bhogal, Projects Officer within Leeds Beckett’s Access and Widening Participation team, said: “This is one of the largest residential programmes we offer with pupils attending from 43 schools across the region.
“There were visits to Leeds Law Courts, ITV Studios and the Coca-Cola factory in Wakefield, giving students a real insight into professional and working environments that they wouldn’t ordinarily have access to.”
She added that one of the highlights of the week was when the pupils had the opportunity to take part in a Q&A session with some Leeds Beckett University alumni. Pupils engaged with one of three alumni panels, each of which was made up of five former students.
“The alumni have been successful within their own careers and areas ranged from business, sports coaching, teaching and the finance sector,” commented Mandeep. “The session gave students an opportunity to ask questions about their educational journey and transition into work. It was also an opportunity for them to gain an insight into different professions.”
As part of the residential, former The Apprentice star, Claire Young, who was the runner-up on the BBC One show in 2008, led an enterprise session with the pupils – the Yummy Yorkshire Ice Cream Challenge. Pupils were tasked with creating a range of new flavours and packaging, for the Yummy Yorkshire Farm, to appeal to young people aged 13-18. Each team then presented their new brand name, slogan, logo and advertisement before a winner was chosen.
The Access and Widening Participation team at Leeds Beckett facilitates a programme of activities which seek to raise the motivation, aspiration and attainment of young people. The team develop and facilitate a programme of activities designed to make higher education accessible to young people from all backgrounds.