Preparing pupils for higher education

Hundreds of year 11 students from across South Wales attended an event at the Millennium Stadium earlier this week, to help prepare them for higher education.

The event was designed to help pupils make informed choices about university by giving them advice and guidance on higher education courses.

Around 430 pupils were given the opportunity to ask current students from both universities about courses that they are interested in and to also gain relevant information and advice during the event's subject fair.

The pupils also had the opportunity to participate in small workshops, to give them a taste of what studying the subjects they are interested in would really be like.

Students were given advice and information on a range of degree courses including art and design, sport, midwifery, law, business, events management and many more.

Schools in attendance included Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni, Fitzalan High School, Cardiff, Cantonian High School, Blackwood Comprehensive, Caldicot Comprehensive, Hawthorn High School and Oakdale Comprehensive.

Pupils from Bishop Hedley High School, Barry Comprehensive, Newport High School, Cwrt Sart Community School, Bryncelynnog, St Cenydd Comprehensive and Bryn Hafren also attended the event.

Cardiff University's Head of Undergraduate Recruitment, Dave Roylance, said:

"This event underscores the value and importance of universities working together to offer prospective students as many options as possible, so that they are able to make informed judgments about the crucial next phase of their lives.

"We hope that further collaborations such as this will serve to get students thinking as early as possible about what subjects make them tick and what kind of careers they should aspire to."

Ben Hughes from Cardiff Metropolitan University said: "With the cost of education rising, it is important that young people are given as much information as early as possible before making a choice that could potentially have a massive impact on their futures.

"We received a great response from the pupils in attendance and we would love to see them enrolling onto a Higher Education course in the future."