Access to the professions

The Sutton Trust is currently funding a number of projects that concentrate on breaking down the barriers to the professions, giving young people the opportunity to find out more about careers they are interested in, talk to professionals and shadow them at work, and put themselves in the strongest possible position to access professional degree courses and move into their chosen career.

FE2HE Health and Social Care Summer School at University of Southampton
This programme gives 50 Year 12 students the chance to sample a variety of health and social care courses, including audiology, midwifery, occupational therapy, and - in partnership with the University of Portsmouth - pharmacy and radiology.

Close relationships between the University and local FE colleges have aided recruitment, and 98% of the participants in 2004 would be the first generation in their family to enter higher education.

"I really enjoyed being here and I am glad I had the opportunity. I would strongly recommend the summer school to other people and I am definitely hoping to come here next year."
A student from the FE2HE Health and Social Care Summer School 2004

Global Graduates
The Young Graduates for Lawyers (YGL) Programme identifies and targets high achieving AS and A2 students, aged 16-18, who are from non-traditional backgrounds, and who want to pursue a legal career. This London-based programme helps highly talented young people to fulfil their potential irrespective of background, by giving them the right support, advice and guidance.

Funding from the Sutton Trust and the law firm Linklaters allowed thirty students not only to raise their attainment in school but also to acquire the skills necessary to go to university and eventually to qualify as a solicitor.

Sir Peter addressed the celebratory launch in April, which was hosted by Linklaters and attended by students, their friends and families as well as representatives from the legal profession, the voluntary sector and government. The young graduates then began a two year programme of Saturday seminars and masterclasses involving voluntary work and work experience and covering topics such as communication and presentation skills, globalisation, and getting the best from work shadowing.

"I learnt more about my strengths and weaknesses as well as how the legal profession works and what is needed to be a successful lawyer."
Student participating in Young Graduates for Lawyers 2004

Royal Veterinary College (RVC) Saturday Schools
The Sutton Trust first supported the Saturday Schools in 2002. We were pleased to fund the expansion of the project in 2004, to offer 32 Year 10 students from Brent and Camden the chance to extend their knowledge of basic sciences and to gain practical experience of working in a higher education environment.

The borough coordinators for Aim Higher, the Government supported initiative aimed at widening participation in higher education, nominated the participating schools whose science teachers then worked with the RVC to select a group of their students and to ensure that the course content was relevant but also challenging.

Each session consisted of a lecture on a general topic, such as bones and joints or muscles, followed by practical activity such as laboratory work, anatomical identification and animal handling. Three undergraduates from the College assisted with the practical work and acted as role models throughout the course.

The Saturday Schools also provided the teachers with ideas for developing science teaching, so benefiting their whole school.

Pathways to the Professions at the University of Edinburgh
Pathways to the Professions targets students from age 15 upwards from state schools which traditionally send few young people into higher education. It offers a range of activities to increase applications to degrees in law and medicine, including on-campus activity days, preparation for university applications, work observation placements, and undergraduate shadowing and mentoring.

The involvement of the professional bodies for medicine and law is one of the unique features of this scheme, and their support is a vital resource for the students involved. There has been a marked increase in successful applications from the target schools, including those with the lowest higher education participation rates. The students that go on to study at Edinburgh are also provided with a support network of third year undergraduate mentors during their first year at university.

We are delighted that this innovative and highly successful project has been selected as a full case study for the Universities UK Widening Participation project, highlighting good practice in widening participation UK wide in a new publication.

Pathways to Medicine Science Clubs
The Sutton Trust is pleased to be working with the Brightside Trust on their Pathways to Medicine initiative. The aim of this project is to help widen participation in medicine and related healthcare disciplines by non-privileged school students. The Sutton Trust is funding a curriculum-enriching science club for 40 Year 12 science students at Whalley Range School, Manchester, linked to Manchester University Medical School. The aim is to raise individual achievement and increase the number of students taking up science based university courses, with a mix of teacher and post-graduate input, and the support of undergraduate mentors and senior school pupils.

Useful links:
University of Southampton
Royal Veterinary College
Pathways to the Professions, University of Edinburgh
Brightside Trust

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