The Student Becomes The Master

It was only this week that someone commented on how 'heartwarming' it is that so many staff members in the SCCO department (Schools, Colleges, Community, Outreach) have been students at Nottingham Trent University.

Two of our Schools Liaison Officers, Amber and Julian, are keen to share their stories about transitioning from Nottingham Trent students... to Nottingham Trent staff!

Amber Page

"Whilst I was a student at Nottingham Trent University, I studied Psychology with Criminology. I was then lucky enough to be awarded a scholarship for a Multidisciplinary Masters in Business Management.

As part of my Masters Degree, I needed to find myself a short-term placement. 

I was ambitious and motivated so applied for a full-time position within the SCCO department at Nottingham Trent as a School Liaison Officer.

Saturday Art & Design Club* - Meet our Student Ambassadors: Jonathan

Saturday Art& Design Club isn’t only rewarding for the young people (aged 13 -16 years old) who attend the weekly workshops but it’s also beneficial for the student assistants that support the Club. In this post, some of our student assistants tell us why they have enjoyed the experience this year.

Jonathan Price, graduated from Graphic Design in July 2016

I was initially interested in the role of student assistant as it was an opportunity to add some context to my studies and share my knowledge of art and design with the Saturday Club.

Jonathan working hard with his group. 

My first task was to demonstrate how letter forms could be created from playing card symbols. Initially, this was a daunting prospect however I enjoyed sharing my ideas and helping the participants get stuck into creating typography.

One of the most rewarding aspects is seeing the young people’s investment in art and design at such an early stage of learning. Many seem set on a path towards higher education. By sharing my perspective of a creative education, I hope the students will pursue their passions, carving the way for the next generation of creative talent.

National Saturday Art & Design Club's trip to London!

Throughout my involvement I have become more confident about giving advice and guidance to the students. I feel more comfortable presenting ideas and talking to the group at each session. This confidence has definitely helped in the later stages of my degree. Discussing ideas and presenting projects are key aspects of a creative degree and Saturday Art & Design Club has allowed me to improve on these skills away from the pressures of university project work.

Group photograph of the Saturday Art & Design young people.

Saturday Art Club has already proved to be an excellent talking point with potential employers, as it adds emphasis to my skills in a non-academic environment. It has also allowed me to work with a more diverse age group, which is beneficial if pursuing a career in education. Overall, it provides evidence of my investment in creativity and can only improve my prospects as a creative graduate. For this reason alone I would recommend that anyone who is genuinely passionate about art and design and wants to share their knowledge and experience should get involved with this fantastic project. 

*Saturday Art & Design Club runs free weekly workshops at Nottingham Trent University from October to July.  The workshops are open to pupils aged 13 -16 years old.  If you would like to find out more, please contact Sarah Barkley at: sarah.barkley@ntu.ac.uk.

Saturday Art & Design Club* Meet our student ambassadors: Holly and Ellie

Saturday Art & Design Club isn’t only rewarding for the young people (aged 13 -16 years old) who attend the weekly workshops but it’s also beneficial for the student assistants that support the Club.  In this post, some of our student assistants tell us why they have enjoyed the experience this year.

Holly working with a group of club members.

Holly Barrett, Graduated from Costume Design in July 2016

The main thing that drew me to working with the Saturday Art club was the opportunity to work alongside something that inspires and helps engage young people with the arts, something that can be easily over looked by many.

The club tries many different techniques from photography to making paper costumes.  It really gives the young people the chance to try things they may not necessarily get to try at school, enabling them to find talents they may not have realised they had and discover things they really enjoy doing. 

I really enjoyed seeing the wide range and high standard of work the students produced and seeing the groups commitment to give up their Saturday mornings, to attend the club made it a pleasure to also give up my Saturday morning lie- ins to help the club.

Through the different sessions I helped with I also felt like I learned a lot of techniques and was even able to use parts of the university I wouldn't normally come across, like the photography studio.

I also learnt a lot during the masterclass with artist Zack Mclaughlin, this was particularly interesting as he explained about the route he had taken since graduating university, to get to where he is now.  This was inspiring as I have just graduated and am about to head out into the exciting, yet scary, world of working in the creative industry. 

Working with the club has been really enjoyable and I wish everyone all the best with wherever their futures take them. If I ever get the opportunity to and working with young people and the arts in the future, it will definitely be something I would get involved in.

Holly helping a member of Saturday Art & Design Club to create a model bird.

Find out more about Holly’s work on her website:

http://hollybarrettt.wix.com/hollybarrett or follow her on Twitter @hollybarrettcostume

Ellie Barlow, graduated from Costume Design in July 2016

I was initially interested in this role as I thought it would be a good experience while I was studying at NTU. The most rewarding thing I found was seeing how creative these young students are and their eagerness towards their work and helping each other, especially on a Saturday morning! I have learnt many skills, such as keeping up with the energy of the students! I feel like this has been a great opportunity while studying at NTU because it has made me feel useful by encouraging the next generation of creatives, while studying myself.

Ellie showing a Saturday Art & Design Club member work on her laptop.

Take a look at Ellie’s work on her website:                                                                      http://ebarlow254.wix.com/eleanorbarlow

*Saturday Art & Design Club runs free weekly workshops at Nottingham Trent University from October to July.  The workshops are open to pupils aged 13 -16 years old.  If you would like to find out more, please contact Sarah Barkley at: sarah.barkley@ntu.ac.uk.

Family supper 2016

The family Supper events are collaborative events run at either Nottingham Trent University (NTU) or the University of Nottingham (UoN). They run from March to May and in 2016 saw over 410 attend the 3 NTU evenings with a similar number at UoN. Attendees were Year 10 pupils and their families from across Nottingham City and County. The aim of these events is to provide those Year 10 pupils and their families with information about higher education as well as allow them an opportunity to ask questions of current students at both institutions. 

Why people came?

Student discussing with her parents university.

The evenings are a great way to not only find out about the benefits of going into higher education, but also to get an understanding of what topics pupils would like to study, and  routes into university. This is done mostly through talking to current students who give examples of the real experiences they have gone through in attending university. This was all after a family dinner with other families, staff and students from each university.

The main topics discussed on the night

Whilst year 10’s were concerned about having enough student loan to live (party) and study if they chose to come to university, parents and carers were more concerned about whether or not they would need to financially support their young people in higher education. An overview of student finance was provided through an interactive quiz but more information can be found on the Student Finance England website.

Student ambassador answering parents questions

Another concern was what if I don’t get the grades or I haven’t picked the right subjects for post-16… Each university student on the event had a different experience when it came to how they got to university. Families got a chance to talk to UK based and international students as well as mature students and those further on in their HE study working towards a masters or PhD. Essentially the advice coming from all was do some early research if you have an idea about what you want to do or do something you enjoy if you have no idea what you want to be ‘when you’re a grown up’. The UCAS website has a section on it for pupils aged 16-18 to help them through this.

Family playing quiz together

Families left with some questions answered about higher education but most importantly an overall sense of positivity about the prospect of higher education for their futures.

Do you know what you’re doing after school finishes?

Future Proofing

I attended one of our departments Future Proofing sessions to have a look into what advice we give to Pre-16 students about Post-16 options.

What is it?

– Future Proofing is basically what it says on the tin, the event is focused showing students to research areas relevant to their future to discover what qualification they may need to access them.

–This ranges from jobs, apprenticeships and higher education. Every different type of job or Higher Education has different entry requirements. This means after working out what you want to do the session would suggest how to get there.

How does it work?

The session was broken down into :

Meet greet & Eat

– The year 11 pupils and their families ate together with, and chatted to, our Student Ambassadors

What do you know?

–  The point of this part was it gave pupils an opportunity to ask any questions they had about student life in an informal setting receiving ‘real’ responses from ‘real’ students.

Chat & Research

– This I felt this was the most important part of the whole evening where Student Ambassadors moved around and chatted with the families and students about specific university questions.

– For those individuals who have not yet decided on a future career or pathway, there was a personality quiz to complete. Once complete this suggested areas compatible with the pupils answers in terms of careers to research.

Catch up & Questions

  – Finally pupils and families were asked to consider and state their next steps. For some the session had raised more questions than answers and they stated further research was needed. Others however had very specific ideas about the grades and pathways they needed to pursue. Finally at the end any questions that weren't answered at the start or throughout were quickly answered for peace of mind.

Conclusion

Future Proofing was a relaxed way of allowing for two specific things to happen. First it lets students understand what they may want to do in the future and the pathways to access those things. Secondly, undertaking this research allows them to make informed decisions about what they both can, and want, to do. Therefore it can be said the session ‘Future Proofed’ their Post – 16 choices.