USP College runs Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Days for all students which provides them with the opportunity to engage in relevant and bespoke activities that are tailored to their career aspirations.
On Thursday 11 February students were able to attend a range of sessions that were taking place that included live virtual talks with industry experts or even complete an industry-accredited qualification, like Level 2 and 3 BTEC Sport students who completed their basic first aid training.
I want to be a PE Teaching Assistant when I finish my college course and I can use what I learnt about First Aid within my career. The CPD Days have given me experiences that I can put on my CV which can boost my chance of getting a job, it is also good to have additional qualifications too.
The College welcomed a host of speakers on the day including Kane Waiwaku a Fine Artist and Photographer, Marie-Anne Cowan a Chartered Engineer, Claire Battersby a Paediatric Nurse, Jennifer Adam a Pharmacist, Keeley Smith a Solution Focused Hypnotherapist and Mark Smith former Chief Enterprise and Technology Officer and current Business owner, to name a few.
Although the CPD Days usually allow students to take visits off campus and guest speakers to attend the College, with the current pandemic all sessions were delivered virtually, but that still allowed for some impressive external facilitators to join the CPD Day, including the NHS, Inspired to Change and DNV.GL.
Throughout the live sessions students were encouraged to ask questions to support their onward journeys.
It was really enjoyable to talk to young people interested in a career in healthcare. It is something I’m so passionate about. It was exciting to think I was talking to nurses of the future. They asked some great questions and seemed really keen to learn more about the roles and responsibilities of a nursing career.
As part of the recent CPD Day we had lots of guest speakers from specialised departments. Because of COVID-19 we can’t go out on work experience so it helps to figure out what routes I can take in the future.
I particularly enjoyed being taught the basic and the depths of how to build my perfect portfolio for potential university applications or job interviews, as it teaches me about the real world and gives me the motivation to ‘go big or go home’.
This CPD Day was designed specifically for the College’s Vocational students. A-Level students will have their CPD Day on Friday 26 March.