Forth Valley College’s Stirling Campus hosted the prestigious UCAS Forth Valley Higher Education Exhibition for the first time on Friday 20 September.
A wide range of the UK’s biggest and best universities and colleges – including Forth Valley College - exhibited stalls at the event which proved popular with potential future students, who also took advantage of the talks and workshops on offer.
The 28 exhibitors on the day were: University of Aberdeen, Abertay University, University of Dundee, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier University, Forth Valley College, University of Glasgow, Glasgow Caledonian University, The Glasgow School of Art, Heriot-Watt University, University of the Highlands and Islands, Imperial College London, Queen Margaret University, Robert Gordon University, The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, SRUC, SAE Institute, University of St Andrews, University of Stirling, University of Strathclyde, Ulster University, University of the West of Scotland, British Army, Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and Royal Marines, SAAS, Skills Development Scotland and UCAS.
Forth Valley College also launched their new prospectus for 2020/21 at the event and promoted their wide range of courses which includes: an extensive range of full-time provision, partnership degree programmes - along with the University of Stirling, Heriot-Watt University and Strathclyde University - Graduate Apprenticeships, Modern Apprenticeships, Foundation Apprenticeships and their School/College Partnership courses.
The college also provided advice on applications and support while studying at the college and promoted their own forthcoming Open Days to be held at the Stirling Campus on Tuesday 29 October (from 4.30pm-7pm) and at the Alloa Campus on Wednesday 6 November (from 4.30pm-7pm).
Anna Cummins (17) a sixth year pupil at Stirling High School, said: “I have enjoyed today as it gave me the chance to speak to several universities. I want to do art and I am thinking about applying for Robert Gordon University in Dundee, but I might also look at a Foundation course at Forth Valley College. I like the campus here for hosting this event and the service has been good. It’s been useful.”
Jennifer Nicolson (16) a sixth year pupil at Stirling High School, said: “It has been a really helpful event. I want to do Product Design at university and I think I have found out a lot of information I need for that. I think the FVC Stirling Campus is very nice too.”
Cameron Heggie (17) a sixth year pupil at Falkirk High School, said: “I have been learning about all the different universities and Forth Valley College and their courses and opportunities available. You get a good view here.”
Kaleem Anwar (16) a sixth year pupil at Falkirk High School, said: “I want to do dentistry and it’s been a good event. The campus is nice here and the staff have been friendly. The seminar on ‘How to apply for University’ was good too. Good information and advice.”
Daniel Ferguson (16) a sixth year pupil from Lornshill Academy, said: “I am hoping to do aeronautical engineering, possibly at Glasgow University and this event has been very informative especially with the number of unis represented here. It is a very nice venue and I would recommend other senior phase school pupils to come along in the future.”
Lewis Hendry (16) a sixth year pupil at Lornshill Academy, said: “I want to do maths and physics maybe at Edinburgh and this UCAS event has definitely been useful, especially as all these unis are here that offer courses relevant to what I want to do. The seminars have also been useful and given us some great information on how to apply for university.”
Courteney Sheppard, Customer Experience Manager at UCAS, said: “Exhibitions are a fantastic way to find more on range of options available, and ask all your important questions in one day, under one roof. There’s also the opportunity to find out the skills, experience and ambition that universities and colleges are looking for, which will help you put together a strong application.”
Dr Ken Thomson, Principal of Forth Valley College, said: “The UCAS Education Exhibition is always a prestigious annual event and we were absolutely delighted to host it at Forth Valley College. We are sure that all who attended will have benefited from the experience and we hope, after seeing the facilities on offer at our Stirling Campus, that applying for our degree programmes might now be a possibility for potential new students who previously felt that university might have been their only option. Events like this reinforce our college ethos of Making Learning Work and we look forward to hosting more UCAS events in the future.”
