Secondary school students visiting the University of West London during the Degree Apprenticeship Summer School
Secondary school students visiting the University of West London during the Degree Apprenticeship Summer School

UWL welcomes Year 12 students to its first ever Degree Apprenticeship Summer School

Intro

This summer, the University of West London welcomed 35 Year 12 students from south and west London to its first ever Degree Apprenticeship Summer School. The aim was to provide students with crucial information and skills needed to secure highly competitive degree apprenticeships.

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UWL’s Degree Apprenticeship Outreach team - a project funded through the Office for Students recent funding competition - ran workshops on key skills and competencies relevant to making high quality applications for a degree level apprenticeship vacancy. These included interview skills, the application process, job search and assessment days. 

The students had the opportunity to meet current Chartered Manager and Digital Technology Solutions degree apprentices and ask them questions. They also got to talk to academics including Dr Malte Ressin (Senior Lecturer in Computer Science at the School of Computing and Engineering) and Maryam Feyzi Zad (Lecturer in Business and Management at the Claude Littner Business School).

Secondary school students visiting the University of West London's flight simulator during the Degree Apprenticeship Summer School

In addition, attendees heard a talk about careers in the aviation industry and had the opportunity to experience the thrill of flying in UWL’s Boeing 737 Flight Simulator. 

The Summer School ended with a ceremony awarding students certificates for participation and achievements for soft skills observed throughout the two days, including 'Exemplary Leadership', 'Communication', 'Most Engaged' and 'Team Player'. 

It was so helpful to meet and hear from current apprentices, as it gave us a personal insight into how apprenticeships work. It has inspired me to want to do an apprenticeship,” 

said one attendee.

My daughter attended the Summer School and has gained valuable skills for job applications and interviews. It has been great for her confidence,” 

said a parent of an attendee.

UWL’s Director of Apprenticeships Janet Rowson commented,

Our Summer School was a fantastic success, showing how important hands-on learning is.

It is a testament to our commitment to helping all students grow and succeed. By diving into practical experiences, our participants sharpened their skills and fuelled their passion for their future careers.” 

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