HSDC students have had the opportunity to engage with a variety of presentations and Q&A sessions as part of this January’s Southern Universities Network (SUN) Virtual Guest Speaker Series.
SUN is a collaborative partnership of higher education providers across Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight which aims to encourage young people to take advantage of the opportunities in higher education and get a better understanding of their future options.
The speaker series, scheduled to run throughout the academic year, is being held virtually this year. January’s offering spanned a wide range, from careers in Hairdressing from Solent University, descriptions by a speaker from Winchester University about some of the work she has done in Forensic Investigation and Archaeology, a talk on the next steps after UCAS by a Portsmouth University staff member, a Q&A session with former student Ben Miles, co-founder of the Victorious Festival, and careers in Cybersecurity and Technology by a staff member from the National Cyber Security Centre.
The February schedule continues the trend for diversity, from sociology, to software engineering, to animal welfare and conservation. Student feedback so far has been very positive, including comments such as “It helped me explore my options and was nice to have a professional opinion”, “Knowing what other options are after college is really important and has opened my eyes” and “It was interesting to hear from someone who has worked in different parts of the industry”.
HSDC SUN Progression Mentor Jodie Meakin, who organises the series with colleague Celine Scott, sees this speaker series as an important aspect of what HSDC offers its students, “Students not only have excellent academic teaching but they also have the chance to explore opportunities for their time after College, be it university, apprenticeships or a work role. We try to give students a view of a wide range of options.”
