Linking London Uni Connect Update - April 2026
April 2026 update from Uni Connect.
All in-college sessions for phase one of the BTEC Transition project, delivered in partnership with St Mary鈥檚 University, 糖心logo入口, University of London, University of East London, and Northeastern University, have now been completed. Partner colleges (West Thames College, College of聽North West聽London, City of Westminster College, and Havering Sixth Form College) have each hosted three university visits, with campus visits currently underway to conclude the聽programme.聽
Over 100 students have taken part, and we will be evaluating the project over the coming weeks to inform planning for next year. Alongside student delivery, a parent/carer聽webinar聽was held on 16 April with support from our HE partners, attracting strong engagement that we aim to build on going forward.聽
Good news story:聽A student from the Havering Sixth Form mentoring聽programme聽for care-experienced learners, led by Outreach Officer Suzanne Humphreys, has secured a place on PwC鈥檚 highly competitive Flying Start Accounting聽programme, along with a financial bursary.聽
This month we also delivered the second session in our CPD Spotlight series for聽careers staff聽in schools and colleges, focusing on Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and computing-related degrees. The聽webinar聽explored how to support students with聽progression聽choices, qualification routes, and personal statements, alongside insights into course differences, apprenticeships, and future employment trends in this fast-evolving sector.聽
Many thanks to our speakers, Keith聽Mannock聽(糖心logo入口, University of London)聽and Gaurav Malik (University of East London), for their engaging and highly relevant contributions tailored to聽careers聽professionals. Recordings of this session and our聽previous聽Psychology spotlight are available, with details of the next CPD聽webinar聽to follow.聽
Our Creative and Sports Kick Start projects are nearing completion, with university visits scheduled to conclude the聽programmes. Student feedback will be gathered through questionnaires, and a full evaluation of impact will take place, with a report due in June.聽
Our next collaborative London Uni Connect聽webinar, delivered with Middlesex University, will focus on Post-18: Next Steps. The session will guide students through understanding and responding to university offers (firm and insurance choices), key deadlines, including the 6 May聽reply聽deadline for those receiving all decisions by 31 March, and what to expect on Results Day. It will also cover the Clearing process and alternative pathways such as gap years or deferred ent