Document Actions

Uni Connect (NCOP) - Linking London Update

After the colleges’ internal UCAS deadlines in late November, our Engagement Coordinators were still being approached for help with redrafting personal statements and continued to provide this one to one support to significant numbers of ward learners. Alongside the very large volume of UCAS and personal statement queries and requests for support, across all colleges, a small number of students have also been receiving one to one support in relation to apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships throughout this first term.

The MindMapper skills workshops in goal setting, resilience and motivation, mentioned last month, have now been wrapped up. Having begun with an in-person launch, then worked through four coaching sessions, the programme concluded with a ‘graduation’ that comprised coaches in virtual attendance, students together in person, and a parent who we were very pleased to have join too. Evaluation of the MindMapper programme will be reported on in the new year. At LSEC, Middlesex University delivered workshops to Health and Social care students on interview technique. Ravensbourne delivered portfolio workshops to Art and Design students in person at Barking and Dagenham College, as well as visiting Havering Sixth Form to provide portfolio support to Photography students.

Centrally, we have continued to coordinate our four online mentoring schemes, ensuring support continues for those that are keen to carry on the dialogue with their mentor over Christmas and into late January, taking us up until the UCAS deadline. Next term we are planning for a mixed offer of rolling mentoring schemes and fixed term schemes that will begin with a new cohort of Year 12s and Year 1s. Year 2 / Year 13 students will continue to benefit from mentoring long after the UCAS deadline, as they work on their portfolios, receive offers of university places, and prepare for leaving college. We have also updated and reprinted our most-used flyers and postcards for students and parents, and added a new double-sided Student Finance postcard with figures that came hot off the press from Student Finance England just this week.

Adult Targeted Uni Connect update

This term, our focus is on getting projects up and running in our partner colleges. These will be with adults on Level 3 and Level 2 courses, as well as more targeted work with underrepresented groups. Last term, it was difficult for our colleges to juggle the very busy UCAS application cycle alongside these projects so we are hopeful things will calm down somewhat in the coming weeks. If any adult learners need some last minute support with their personal statements, please get in touch and we may be able to help.

We have worked with 98 adults so far this academic year and hope to grow this number significantly in the coming months. Our monthly bulletin will go out towards the end of the month, and you can subscribe here.