EXPLORING POST-18 OPTIONS
As the year progresses , your child will need to think about what to do when they finish their course . Would they like to continue their education or training ? Or will they be ready to start their career ? Encourage them to make the most of opportunities during the year to investigate the options .
FROM THE SECOND TERM ONWARDS
From February / March , your child will have access to opportunities such as :
• UCAS exhibitions . Held around the country , these events bring together experts from UCAS ( the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service ), university representatives , employers and gap year specialists . Schools or colleges often arrange visits to these exhibitions but your child can also visit independently , in which case you might choose to take them . There may be special sessions for parents or carers . For more details visit www . ucas . com / ucas / events-exhibitions
• University taster courses and residentials . These are short subject-specific courses , lasting anywhere from half a day to one week . They are designed to give students a flavour of campus life , and the chance to experience university teaching methods , see the academic , social and leisure facilities for themselves and meet academic staff and current university students . They are generally free of charge , although students may have to cover travel and food costs . Residential courses involve staying overnight at the university .
• School / college careers fairs . These are a good opportunity to talk to careers advisers , universities and employers to find out more about higher education , training , apprenticeships and employment options .
• Career-focused PSHE sessions or talks at their school / college given by representatives from universities and apprenticeship providers .
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SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD GETTING THE MOST OUT OF UCAS EXHIBITIONS
UCAS exhibitions are large , busy events , often with hundreds of organisations represented , so it ’ s a good idea for your child to do a bit of advance preparation .
Before they go , look through the exhibition information together and talk about :
• What they want to get out of the day .
• Whether there are particular university stands they would like to visit .
• The questions they would like to ask university / training provider representatives .
• Whether there are any specific talks or sessions they are interested in .
On the day , encourage them to take a spare bag for all the prospectuses and information they will pick up .
Afterwards , have a chat with them about how it went and the sorts of courses and careers they are thinking about .
• Offer to help them sift through the prospectuses and go through the details of courses that interest them .
• Look at an online map together so that your child can see where different universities are and start to think about whether they ’ d like to study close to home or further afield .