Conference News Supplements Leeds Supplement | Page 12

12 Leeds A lesson learned Teach First Summer Institute makes welcome return to Well Met 114, 870 Bed nights’ accommodation ell Met, the conference office for Leeds Beckett University, welcomed the Teach First Summer Institute, back to Leeds for its fifth consecutive year this July. This followed a successful bid submitted in 2016, led by Well Met, to host the 2017 and 2018 events, in partnership with MEETinLEEDS and first direct arena. Thus far, the conference and Summer Institute residential have contributed over £8m of revenue to the city over the past four years. To date, Well Met estimate the following numbers (centre): The programme Clare Vidler, conference manager at Well Met, said: “Hospitality is a speciality of our city. Not only can we combine our collective resources of great venues with high-spec facilities, budget accommodation and great 164,232 Yorkshire teabags used 4,292,400 Hours spent in Leeds and the surrounding area £2.7m estimated total spend by participants in the city 7,243 each of lanyards and key cards issued to visitors customer service, visitors get to enjoy a wide range of bars, restaurants and leisure activities, during their stay.” LeedsBID, Conference Leeds, Leeds City Council, Town Centre Securities, LHVA and Capita were key stakeholders involved within the bid to host the 2017 and 2018 Teach First Summer Institute. Summer Institute is a five-week residential training programme that prepares incoming Teach First participants with the practical teaching skills and mind-set to be ready for the classroom from day one. It marks the start of the two-year Teach First programme, forming a foundation for ongoing school and university-based training, culminating in a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE). After four weeks of training in their respective local areas, the final week of the Summer Institute welcomed the whole of the 2018 cohort back to Leeds - hosted by Leeds Beckett University and the University of www.conference-news.co.uk Leeds – where they were joined by the 2017 cohort, Teach First alumni, university tutors and Teach First staff. Close to 2,500 trainee and newly qualified teachers (NQT), began the week with a two-day conference (23-24 July, 2018) across three venues – Leeds Beckett University, University of Leeds and first direct arena. It featured over 70 sessions of seminars, tutorials and lectures, specifically aimed at early career stage teachers, and practical CPD sessions designed to prepare teachers for their first day in the classroom. Teach First recruits, trains and supports teachers specifically for schools that serve low-income communities within England and Wales. It is estimated that the over 7,000 participants who have trained in Leeds over the last five years will have taught or will teach over 450,000 students in secondary, primary and early years education across England and Wales during their first two years.