Barton Peveril Students Prepare for their Future

Barton Peveril Sixth Form College (@bartonpevril) welcomed representatives from over 60 universities and over 50 local, national and international employers, virtually, for its annual Higher Education and Futures Fairs. Thousands of students, and their parents and guardians, attended the online events this year.

Both events typically take place on the Hampshire-based College’s campus but were transformed online this year, hosted on two bespoke websites for students, parents, and guardians. Both Fairs were also sponsored by local universities, this year; the Higher Education Fair was sponsored by the University of Southampton and the Futures Fair was sponsored by Solent University Southampton.

The Higher Education Fair took place between 1st March and 5th March, with University representatives participating in live Question and Answer sessions and providing pre-recorded sessions and materials. Representatives from national and international universities were in attendance, including the Universities of Southampton, Portsmouth, Newcastle, Edinburgh, and Institute of the Arts Barcelona.

The Futures Fair, which took place between 8th March and 12th March, also contained a breadth of live and pre-recorded sessions and materials from local, national and international employers, apprenticeship providers, and gap year organisations. The companies represented included Burberry, IBM, Fiander Tovell, and BMW.

The University of Southampton’s Director of Global Recruitment and Admissions, David Winstanley, praised the College after delivering a well-attended talk for parents, guardians and students:

“I’m delighted to be at Barton Peveril’s event. I think the way that colleges like Barton Peveril have adapted to the pandemic is remarkable. This provides a really accessible way to access information.”

Barton Peveril’s Head of Careers, Shoonagh Hubble, commented on the event:

“For obvious reasons this year students haven’t been able to visit universities and see for themselves what is on offer. Barton’s Virtual Futures Fortnight has brought the universities to our students’ phones and computer screens – allowing them and their parents the chance to get a feel for what university life is like and also quiz student ambassadors and admissions staff on everything from course content and tuition fees to the price of a pint.

“In addition, students wanting to find out more about the world of work have been able to meet employers and attend virtual workshops on the skills needed to get those top jobs and apprenticeships. We are enormously grateful to the University of Southampton and Solent University for their generous support of these events, which has allowed them to be tailor-made to the needs of Barton students.”