Selby College students gained insight into a range of different career paths and roles as part of the College’s A Level Careers Week.

The event, which took place between Monday 31st January until Friday 4th February 2022, saw students enjoy a variety of activities including guest speakers, interactive sessions, workshops and even a trip to Ripon workhouse.

The week began with a visit from Newcastle University’s Outreach Ambassador, Ione Taylor and Student Recruitment Coordinator, Matt Larkin, who delivered a range of interactive workshops and talks to Year 1 Biology, Chemistry and Psychology students.

As part of the day, Biology students took part in a practical on the basics of genetics and disease, with Chemistry students enjoying a ‘saved by the gel’ themed pharmaceutical workshop which explored the clinical and scientific side of pharmacy.

For Psychology students, Newcastle University provided an interactive session on what psychology is, what the universal emotions are and the nature vs nurture debate. Natasha Lacey from Remedi, an organisation which offers restorative justice services, also talked to the College’s Psychology and Criminology students about restorative justice and psychology in Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service.

We always encourage our students to reach their full potential during their time at College, so that they can progress onto their next steps and reach their career goals. For some students, they may still be unsure of what they want to do once they leave college or what career path they wish to take. By hosting an A Level Careers Week, this gave our Year 1 students the opportunity to interact with experts from different professions and explore various industries, helping them explore the options available to them, suited to their skills and aspirations.

Later in the week, Year 1 History students received a guest lecture from Modern History Professor at the University of York, Chris Renwick, who talked about Seebohm Rowntree. Professor Matthew Grenby, from Newcastle University, also delivered a presentation on the origins of children’s literature in the 18th century.

The students were really engaged in the presentations, so much so that they stayed behind for a short option session after class where they got to ask questions about studying humanities subjects at university. Both of the lectures delivered by Professor Chris Renwick and Professor Matthew Grenby were greatly received by the students and also helped in their learning of their Paper 3 study on the Industrial Revolution.

Off campus, Year 1 History students paid a trip to Ripon Workhouse museum where they were able to explore what life was like in the workhouse, courthouse and prison. The students started the tour at the gatehouse building of the Victorian Workhouse, before making their way onto the Guardians’ room, inmates' bathing area, Vagrants' Cells and the Receiving Ward.

The Maths department spent the week carrying out a range of careers-focused activities for Year 1 students, including a project which saw the students research a chosen career which they picked from a pack of cards within the classroom.

Maths Lecturer Ian King gave a presentation to students regarding the different careers available within the financial sector, as well as presenting them with a number of career option videos.

The College recently placed in the top 25% of A Level providers in the country after receiving a high A Level Performance Systems (ALPS) Quality Indicator score for the academic year 2020-21.

ALPS is a tool for education providers to measure the value they add to a student’s A Level performance compared to what might be expected of them following their previous academic performance at GCSE, using a colour coding system.

The analysis revealed that 49% of the College’s teaching (nine subjects), exceeded the national benchmark of 25%.