CAVA Regional network meetings

Posted on by cava_admin

CAVA is running regional network meetings during April and May.

Previous meetings have been popular, with excellent feedback from attendees and they should be highly enjoyable and informative days again this year. This year the focus will be Marketing the Access to HE Diploma.

The meetings are designed for senior management, Access practitioners, external moderators and marketing staff and will include two sessions.

The first session will focus on marketing the Access to HE Diploma in its broadest sense, from positioning Access to HE in an educational institution and identifying need and target groups, to designing course content and advertising. The second session will include subject based standardisation activities.

The meetings are valuable professional development opportunities which will strengthen regional ties and enable colleges to share best practice.

3 April 2019 – Bournemouth and Poole College

9 April 2019 – Barnsley College

24 April 2019 – Tresham College

25 April 2019 – Nottingham College

2 May 2019 – City College Plymouth

15 May 2019 – Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge

Please email admin@cava.ac.uk for a booking form.

Debbie Drennen

Posted on by cava_admin

Former Access to HE Diploma student 2014-15
Former Human Biosciences Foundation Degree student 2015-17
Plymouth University student 2017-18 (First Class Honours)

After successfully completing the Petroc Access course, I studied the Foundation Degree in Human Biosciences at Petroc, obtaining a Distinction. I then went on to the University of Plymouth to complete the third year and obtain a BSc in Human Biosciences, in which my final overall grade was First Class Honours.

I chose to study at Petroc because, for me, three years travelling to Plymouth would not have been possible. I have two children, both of whom were at school at the time. I also worked part-time at NDDH as a clinical support worker, so Petroc allowed me to be able to travel, study, work and support my family without too much upheaval. To be honest, if I had to do all three years at Plymouth, I honestly don’t think I would have completed the course, let alone obtain a First.

At Petroc I learnt most of the laboratory skills that I would require for the third year of my degree, these included microscopy, Gram staining, polymerase chain reaction and using gel electrophoresis. A particular favourite was inserting a gene in to E. coli and making it glow in the dark!!These skills allowed me to confidently undertake my research in the lab at university, which was microbiology based and involved identifying isolates and finding antibiotic resistance genes.

Highlights at Petroc include the friends that I made whilst there. A small cohort meant that the lecturer to student ratio allowed plenty of time for questions and support.

My next step is to try and get a post at NDDH as a trainee biomedical scientist in the microbiology department. It would require completing a few more modules to become IBMS approved and then state registered, but that is my goal. https://www.petroc.ac.uk/content/people/case-studies/higher-education/debbie-drennen-human-

Alice Glover

Posted on by cava_admin
Access to HE (Business) at Cambridge Regional College

Alice took her GCSE at Comberton Village College, and later tried A levels at Long Road Sixth Form. She left the course in search of employment. Since leaving school she has had part-time and full-time jobs at Tesco, Eurocamp and Newnham Bakery. Last year she made a decision to study Artisan Food Production at Nottingham Trent University at Foundation Level. In order to apply for the course, she had to have gain 64 UCAS points. She then decided to enrol on our full-time Access course starting in January and finishing in July. She was accepted and started her course on January 7th.


Samuel Machiridza

Posted on by cava_admin

Sam studied the Access to H.E. Youth and Social Work Diploma at Petroc College

Biography

Why did you choose to study at Petroc?  

It was convenient for me, with no travel costs and Petroc offered a pathway to the degree programme that I wanted to do.

What made you pick this particular study programme/course?

This course opened up a lot of opportunities for me as I could choose from a range of degree programmes I want to do. I chose a degree in Social Work but I could have opted for a Youth Work degree at a local university instead.

What have been the highlights ?

The highlight for me was not only gaining confidence in myself, but also achieving grades that I thought were beyond me. I’ve also met a group of lovely people – most of us have become very good friends.

What did you most enjoy about studying the course at Petroc?

Meeting like-minded people with the same goals as me and the togetherness of the group, that is, how we help and push each other to achieve our goals.

What do you plan to do when you leave college? 

I am going to do a degree in Social Work at UWE.

What’s the long-term plan? 

I intend to become a fully qualified and registered Social Worker.

Any advice for someone thinking of choosing the same course as you? 

Don’t just think about it or leave it until next year, now is the time to take the opportunity. Also when you start this course, remember that organisation and time management are very important. Don’t leave things until the last minute and, if you have any problems, don’t hesitate to speak to the tutors, who are always really helpful and supportive.

Amy Hambly-Symons

Posted on by cava_admin

Access to HE Diploma: Science

HE Progression:  BSc Dental Therapy and Hygiene Cardiff University

Using her expert skills to treat children and adults with a range of special care needs such as dental phobia, newly qualified dental therapist and hygienist, Amy Hambly-Symons is in love with her position at West Country Dental Care where she spends three days of the week. The rest of Amy’s week is spent at a practice in St Ives as a Hygienist.

It took travelling, a ski season and a variety of career paths for Amy to find the perfect career. It all changed for Amy when, following her mother’s footsteps, she fell into a career as a dental nurse. Achieving the highest score in the UK for both her nursing and radiology exams, a light-bulb moment occurred and Amy realised that this was the career path for her.  The thought of doing two years of A Levels was a daunting prospect but Amy was determined to find a way. Luckily, a chance conversation with a colleague at the dental practice introduced Amy to the idea of completing an Access to Higher Education Diploma.

Following the conversation, Amy attended a College Open Event and met with Jolene Hogan, the Programme Leader for the Access to Science Diploma. Discussing the finer details of the course, Amy was delighted to be informed that as she was over 24 she qualified for an Advanced Learner Loan, which could be ‘written off’ if she went on to complete a Higher Education course. Further more, the qualification could be gained within one academic year, which was a much shorter time scale than expected. This information sealed the deal for Amy, who said that after the Open Event she calculated that “financially I knew I would be okay because the debt really worried me”.

Starting her course in September 2014, Amy took classes in Biology, Chemistry and Maths, with a little Physics. The structure of the Access course running for three days in the week meant that she could spend three days a week still working as a dental nurse and also some part-time work on Sundays. “It was a very busy 10 months,” laughed Amy.

Although busy, the Access course was definitely the right choice for Amy, who said: “I cannot praise the Access to Science course enough, it was really confidence building but also really helped with my degree because everything that it covered was very relevant to what I did at uni. I learned referencing, presentation, writing and laboratory skills.”

Achieving Distinction grades in all her modules on the Access course, Amy went on to study the BSc Dental Therapy and Dental Hygiene at Cardiff University and graduated with a First Class Honours and won a monetary Research Prize for her final year of study on ‘The Links between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Periodontitis (gum disease)’, having previously achieved the highest grades in the UK in her dental nurse and radiology exams.in July 2018. Amy said: “I will be forever grateful to Truro College. I should have gone there in the first place really.”

The success of the Access to HE students is an example of widening participation in action

Posted on by cava_admin

31/05/19 Yesterday’s Augar review praised the track record of Further Education Colleges’ Access to HE courses, which it argued, provide better value for money than University foundation year courses. This timely guest blog by Rt. Hon Sir John Hayes MP, former Minister for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning discusses the success of Access to HE students.  Higher Education Policy Institute

I have long thought that to build a more mobile and just society we need many paths to higher learning and skills. Real life is messy, and going to university straight after school is not always the right choice for everyone. If we want to improve access to university to more people then we must recognise that increasing participation is not just about 18 and 19 year-olds but about the whole of our society.

It’s time to face the fact that too much of past expansion of higher education has been more of same kind of people studying in the same kind of way. The depressing fact, as the recently published Augar Review of post-18 Education and Funding notes, is that the overwhelming majority of young people who do not achieve a level 3 qualification by the age of 18 or 19 never do so. We can no longer afford to leave so many people behind. Instead, we should recognise that rather than making people ‘fit’ university life we must enable more institutions to ‘fit’ the circumstances of many more potential learners. Flexible provision should be tailored to what Edmund Burke evocatively described as the ‘crooked timber of humanity’.

Vital to this approach is facilitating access for adult learners. As Minister for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning in the early years of the Coalition government I championed the Access to HE diploma as a way more people could gain the qualifications they needed to progress to higher education. Typically studied at an FE college, the diploma offers an alternative means of entry to HE from the traditional A level route. As a result of my efforts, students who successfully complete their HE course are entitled to have the balance of their Advanced Learner loan paid off. The news that 26% of students admitted to Higher Education as a result of gaining an Access to HE diploma graduated with a first class degree in 2017/18 is delightful proof that this approach works in practice. Overall, the performance of Access to HE students is comparable with those entering HE with A levels and Applied General qualifications.

The Access to HE route is an example of widening participation in action. Last year, nearly 24,000 students entered HE via this route: 57% of Access to HE students are over the age of 25 and 29% are from an ethnic minority background. Crucially, Access to HE has enabled students from poorer backgrounds to study career focused degree level qualifications in a way that fits their lives. Almost a quarter (23%) of Access to HE learners are from disadvantaged areas and 77% of those who progress go on to study at a nearby institution, with nursing being the most popular subject.

The Augar review would appear to have heeded the lessons of the success of the Access to HE scheme, noting that this route represents a much more cost effective way for students with low prior attainment to access HE than undertaking a full foundation year. I believe that such a flexible approach is the only way to bridge the gulf that has developed between those who go to university straight from school and those who do not. I therefore welcome the Augar review’s proposals for a lifelong learning loan allowance and for the expansion of modular leaning. We should give more people the chance to study in a way, at a time and at a pace that meets their needs. It is to be hoped that the Government acts on these recommendations.

Only a society in which all can realise opportunity through education – the engine of social mobility – deserves to be called socially just. We should not be satisfied until everyone with the talent and aptitude to excel can access an excellent education. That means refocusing on widening access through a clear sighted vision which challenges traditional assumptions about modes of learning and access points to HE.

Deepening participation alone is not enough; who participates, where they came from and where they end up matter too. I will not be content until, to paraphrase FE Smith, all with stout hearts and sharp minds have their chance of glittering prizes.

Career Coach

Posted on by cava_admin

QAA has launched Career Coach, an online tool that helps match prospective students with the Access to HE programme that best supports their professional ambitions.

Many Access to HE students choose their programmes based on their career goals. Now, for the first time, Career Coach will help users search for Access to HE courses linked to their chosen careers, highlighting the skills and knowledge needed to enter particular job roles and industries.

This interactive tool uses the latest labour market data to offer information on average and potential wages, and latest job vacancies. It also highlights the current demand for jobs and professions in each region.

Its key features include:

• Career Assessments, helping people to learn more about themselves and access career suggestions based on their interests and skills

• Up-to-date data on wages, employment opportunities and common progression routes

• A search function for Access to HE courses that will help you reach your career goals

• A CV Builder to create a professional and modern CV

Users can also sign up for an account to save information about their career search so far.

Career Coach is hosted by EMSI. For more information about Career Coach and to try it for yourself, visit the Access to HE site.

Cambridge University – HE21+programme

Posted on by cava_admin

HE21+programme

HE21+ is a collaborative outreach and mentoring programme between Lucy Cavendish College (in partnership with the other mature Cambridge Colleges) and the University of Cambridge itself. The project provides Further Education Colleges and their students, who are currently studying an Access to Humanities/ Social Sciences for humanities and PBS, with a sustained programme which provides an opportunity to experience typical undergraduate teaching at the University of Cambridge, information and guidance sessions and two trips to Lucy Cavendish College.

The event aims to:

·         Increase the participation rates of mature learners to Higher Education

·         Enhance the confidence and self-belief of mature learners

·         Improve soft skills

·         Provide students with an opportunity to sample subject areas that may be unfamiliar to them or one that they have little experience of studying

You can find out more information, including the booking form here: https://www.lucy-cav.cam.ac.uk/admissions/visiting-the-college/he-programme

CAVA Student survey winner

Posted on by cava_admin

Congratulations to Georgia, Access to HE Diploma (Health and Social Care) student from Cornwall College in Saltash, who won the £50 book token for completing the end of year student survey.

We wish her well in her future studies.