Students engage in additional sessions to develop transferable skills
- Posted 12 Oct 2023
As part of our career-focused learning approach we have three continuous professional development (CPD) Days throughout the year. Thursday 12 October, marked our first one of the academic year and it was great to have so many activities taking place on campus, online and off-site on trips and visits.
We had around 50 different activities taking place including a trip to Shrewsbury Prison for our Uniformed Protective Services students, virtual reality mock-interviews and visits from employers and universities which consisted of the University of Law and Investment 20/20.
I really enjoy being off timetable and hearing about experiences of others. Today I was able to attend two sessions from external speakers.
I attended the talk about ‘Survival of Domestic Abuse by Elaine Spires’ which focussed on resilience, which is a key theme within my studies at the moment. I am interested in working in criminal & forensic psychology so hearing about her experiences was really interesting. I enjoyed listening to how she dealt with things and was able to ask questions about her thought process. We also learnt about her experiences with the law and how the justice system has developed over the years to be more supportive of domestic abuse.
Emily Chambers, who is studying A-Levels Psychology, Sociology and English Literature
We were also joined by Asher Jacobsberg, coordinator of EPAS for the UK. The College were one of the founding ambassador schools as part of the EPAS programme which has been growing over the years. This year the programme is open to all students, including those who do not study politics as part of their study programme.
As part of the debating session with Asher students got stuck in and really developed their critical thinking and debating skills. The session was delivered cross-campus so not only were students having discussions with students in the same room but also virtually which is an important skill for young people who will be heading out into a hybrid working world.
Discussion points for this session were around democracy in the EU, the best way to support Ukraine and whether Ukraine’s EU membership to the EU should be fast-tracked.
For all students it is important for them to not only develop academic skills but also transferable skills that can be used to support their progression to any career. Today a number of students also had the chance to take part in mock interviews using virtual reality. Students observed interviews taking place and virtually answered questions based on their observations. It gives students instant feedback on what they should have been looking out for within the response and how the response given within the demonstration could be improved.