Many households across the constituency have spent the last few weeks anxiously waiting A level and GCSE results. We won’t have the full results across the constituency until October however there are many reports of pupils doing well. These exams, whether we like it or not, often set young people on a path which can largely determine their academic success and their future career opportunities. Certainly it was quite binary where I went to school in Knowsley up in Merseyside where there was no access to any sixth form due to low demand….luckily there are other ways to find your route in life….
I was delighted to spend some time during the holidays at primary and secondary schools and at Chichester University. I was really impressed with all the schools I visited and we are lucky to live in an area where 91% of children go to good or outstanding schools – although clearly we need to work to get to 100%.
Chichester University has 5300 students with 1500 more anticipated as the Uni grows and opens its Engineering and Digital technology park in Bognor. This new facility will be fantastic, with exactly the right focus to equip young people for the 21st century but differentiated by mixing the creative arts with science and tech – putting the STEAM into STEM!
The Uni has also collaborated with Rolls Royce to offer a brilliant higher-level apprenticeship degree. I met two of the students one studying Business Management, the other Software and IT. They work four days a week at Rolls Royce learning on the job and then a day a week at Uni studying for their degree. I’m a big fan of this type of route into the workplace as it’s the same one I did and offers an opportunity to earn whilst you study and avoid student debt! It’s not for everybody but it is another option which I would like to see more widely available to young people today.