Taking one step forward towards a brighter future

Strathclyde Business School students, Nicole Brodie and Tom Brady, talk about One Step Forward, an event their class is running to help increase progression rates to university.

In areas where schools have lower progression rates to university, there can be a lack of available information on the university experience.  What happens during a tutorial? How do I apply for funding?  What subjects can I take?  As part of our Management Development Programme, we are working within a large team of third-year Business School students to organise and host an event that aims to answer these questions while encouraging pupils to consider the university route.

A taste of student life

One Step Forward is taking place from 10am-4pm on Tuesday 7 April at Strathclyde Business School.  There are currently 65 fourth and fifth year pupils attending from Glasgow City Council, North Lanarkshire, North and South Ayrshire and Inverclyde – all areas looking to boost their university progression rates.  Parents are invited to an information session too, running from 2-4pm.  We want to give attendees a taste of student life and open their eyes up to the vast range of opportunities available if they decide to go to university.

The event will focus mainly upon the Business School and the diverse choice of career options a business degree can unlock for graduates.  Throughout the course of the day, pupils will be split into groups with people they have never met before to get them used to interacting with new faces.  Lesley Nixon, senior student adviser will deliver a presentation on careers, funding and the different routes you can take to get into university.  Then the groups will participate in a Build-an-App competition, encouraging pupils to work together as a team and think creatively – two essential traits of Strathclyde students.  Winners will receive Cineworld and restaurant vouchers.  Our guests will be taken on a tour of the campus, attend a real-life lecture and hear from our event supporters and Times Top 100 Graduate Employers, PwC, on employability skills acquired through university.

Why business?

Lastly, our guests will hear from Andrew Grindlay, Young Enterprise Dunbartonshire board member and fourth year Economics & Marketing student at Strathclyde Business School.  Andrew didn’t know he wanted to study business until a late stage in his school career.  Like many of the pupils, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, however, deciding to complete a business degree at Strathclyde turned out to be a highly positive, transitional move for Andrew.  He has been presented with a number of unique opportunities such as travelling to Australia to take part in a business competition and holding an influential role in Young Enterprise Scotland.  Both of these experiences have nurtured his talents and skills, preparing him for a bright career.

Alternative routes

Another concern pupils might have is gaining the right grades to meet entry criteria.  However, even if your results fall short, it doesn’t exclude you from higher education, as other options are available.  The City of Glasgow College works in partnership with the Business School to run the Diploma of Higher Education (Business).  After two years at college you can enter into third year of the BA Business at Strathclyde.  This is one of many alternatives to proceeding directly to University that we will discuss with attendees on the day to ensure they are fully aware of all the options available to them.

Accessible opportunities

One Step Forward aims to show potential students what university life is really like, particularly at Strathclyde.  We both knew we wanted to attend the Business School because of its international reputation, its focus on both academic and extracurricular activities and the state-of-the-art facilities.  We want to get other young people excited about taking advantage of these opportunities.  However, the most important outcome of this event will be clarifying the uncertainties pupils have about their future.  By creating a platform to share information and advice about higher education, we will show these young people that university is an accessible choice that can lead to many more future opportunities.

What motivated your decision to attend university? Share your comments below.

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