As part of Young Glasgow Talent’s Talent Taster experiences, we’ve been working with our fantastic Pioneering Partner, Glasgow Kelvin College. Tasters are a ground-breaking initiative that offers our young people the chance to explore the world of work, college and university. Experiences that will spark aspirations!
Moving onto college after secondary school is such an exciting step for any young person, and making that transition is something YGT is striving to make as easy as possible. A huge part of this is having a taste of college before you decide to go, as well as seeing how you feel about the course you have your eye on.
On our most recent batch of Tasters, 32 YGT young people attended Glasgow Kelvin. An amazing number of young people taking charge of their future. Everything from beauty, hairdressing, construction and engineering was available for them to try out! Perfect timing as those on the Taster were leaving S3 and moving on to S4 – the right time to start thinking about college and if that’s the pathway for you!
The young people were each able to get ‘hands on’ experiences of what their courses would be like. In construction they were busy roofing! Part of a project put together by Glasgow Kelvin College especially for the Talent Taster. The future hairdressers worked with mannequin heads and got to try their hands at blow drying hair. While those on the beauty Taster were led through an entire nail art manicure class. During the engineering session the young people were given a real taste of the basics of engineering and had the opportunity to forge their own metal ring. A huge change from their normal school classes, these YGT young people really got a feel for what college will be like for them if they pursue that pathway.
We had some amazing feedback from the young people, proving that Talent Tasters are opening up young people to their chosen pathways. The practical experience brought their aspirations to life, leaving them feeling inspired!
S3 Pupil, St Roch’s: “I chose construction at the FE Taster because I like building things. This is a job I would like to do when I leave school. The physical part of the Taster was the best part, there was nothing that I didn’t like.”
S3 Pupil, Smithycroft: “I enjoyed the FE Taster because I find hairdressing interesting and I would like to do it in the future. Styling the hair was the best part of the FE Taster. I liked all of .”
Glasgow Kelvin was delighted with the opportunity to welcome YGT young people to their campus to experience real college life. Every single response outlined how much the youngsters had enjoyed their visit and have new inspirations and ambitions for Further Education. YGT would like to extend a huge thank you to Glasgow Kelvin College for supporting Glasgow’s disadvantaged young people to find, grow and use their talents and follow their chosen pathway.
“We are pleased to be very vocal in our support of the Principal Alan Sherry, the management and staff of Glasgow Kelvin. They are standout in their commitment to reach the most disadvantaged and disengaged young people in Glasgow. Many MCR young people have benefitted greatly from the college’s commitment to inclusion, the broadest access and having flexible learning models.” – Iain MacRitchie, MCR Pathways.
Alan Sherry, Principal of the College explained that “The Pioneering Partnership is a strategic commitment where we are not only encouraging staff to become MCR Pathways mentors, but working with MCR to develop even more targeted, exciting and engaging learning opportunities. We will second staff across to the core MCR team to help implement and embed all the commitments. We will also extend the use of our facilities and resources to help train the expanding mentor communities and develop the access options for these young people.
“Partnership working lies at the heart of effective services for some of our most vulnerable
young people. They are often the most disengaged but we have the experience and locations
across the city where they can access and engage with the support services they need. Glasgow
Kelvin College and MCR Pathways in partnership will ensure that all young people have access
to education that suits them and a pathway to a brighter future,” – Alan Sherry, Glasgow Kelvin College.
We have many more young people signing up for Young Glasgow Talent’s help. They need mentors to make a huge difference to their confidence, educational outcomes and future life chances. Can you help them? You’ll guide disadvantaged, but utterly deserving and ambitious, young people through their education. Find out more about Becoming A Mentor.
Can your organisation provide a Talent Taster? We’re looking to partner successful organisations who might be willing to run short, interactive job ‘’talent taster’ sessions for young people in S3 and S4 at secondary school. We’re already working with RBS, Santander, Wheatley Group and Glasgow Life to deliver these groundbreaking events. Can you join the ranks of our Talent Taster partners? We would love to work with you! Please call the Taster Team on 0141 276 6251 or email TTTeam@MCRPathways.org.
We’re always looking for new mentors to reach all the new young people who are coming on board with the programme. Help us spread the word by letting your friends and family know how worthwhile mentoring can be!
