More than 8 out of 10 graduates from the University of Surrey go on to secure highly skilled jobs, making them some of the most employable students in the UK.
As well as helping students to achieve top marks in exams, more colleges and universities are now focused on postgraduate success. Through varied and inclusive teaching methods, supportive staff and valuable links with employers, they are able to guide talented students to further study or degree level jobs that match their newly acquired skills and graduate status. Just as preparing young children for school is important to ensure they make the most of their early education, supporting older students as they leave further education can help them to fulfill their potential in the future.
Accommodating Learning Styles
In an article for the Higher Education Policy Institute, Professor Max Lu, Vice Chancellor of the University of Surrey, remarks on a shift in policy from both the Department for Education and an independent regulator of Higher Education in England. The most distinctive change has been to place more emphasis on outcomes and see that students are prepared for the future once they reach a particular milestone in their education. One of the most important ways in which to ensure success after graduation is to treat students equally regardless of their background while at the same time accommodating different learning styles to suit their individual needs. Like many other sectors, higher education has had to quickly evolve over the past couple of years, and, as a result colleges now offer a wider range of learning methods to support all types of students and help them reach their full potential.
Ensuring Exam Success
Although A Levels and BTECs are crucial stepping stones to accessing a place at university, students taking their exams this year have experienced an enormous amount of disruption to their education. The students had no experience of sitting external exams due to the pandemic and those who had taken their GCSEs two years ago had their results awarded solely through teacher assessment. Despite this, schools and colleges across Surrey have helped students to accomplish their best this summer, with some celebrating record-breaking results.
Liaising with Businesses
As well as choosing to study A levels at sixth form and an academic degree at university, students can take advantage of more vocational training and education at further education colleges where they can learn valuable work skills. One effective way in which further education colleges can ensure students leave with skills required by prospective employers is to work closely with businesses and recruiters. This is one of the reasons that Guildford College chose to merge with Activate Learning, an education group that, in addition to running further education colleges, also offers work-based training across Surrey. They have been working together successfully for the past three years offering a range of courses from foundation and top up degrees to essential skills to improve employability.
As greater emphasis is placed on outcomes after further education, colleges and universities in Surrey are successfully ensuring that students are prepared for the future.
