Students continue to make a difference at Green Gecko

Students from the SSTO's Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management programmes have raised around £5,000 for a children's charity in South East Asia.

As part of a final year module the students organised a series of events ahead of a life-changing trip to Cambodia to visit the Green Gecko Project - a school for disadvantaged children.

The trip helps students enhance their learning in a developing country, whilst gaining personal and professional skills by volunteering at Green Gecko.

The group also experienced the rich culture and diversity Cambodia has to offer by visiting various tourist attractions, including the famous Temples of Angkor.

Dr Philip Stone accompanied the students during the trip. He said: "This was my first visit to Cambodia and the Green Gecko Project and I left with an overwhelming sense of the warmth and hospitality of the Khmer people.

"The contribution of the staff at the project to the children and their immediate families was also amazing to see. I was delighted our students had the opportunity to add a very positive contribution during their visit. I know they thoroughly enjoyed the experience which will stay with them as they graduate and beyond.

"The trip was a huge success, largely thanks to Pete McGrath's meticulous planning, leadership and organisation of the module, as well as students' engagement in teaching and learning at Green Gecko."

This year's total takes the overall amount raised by SSTO students to over £43,000 – cementing the school's commitment to making a difference to society. Student James Price said the trip has inspired him to consider a possible career in education.

"My time in Cambodia was an eye-opening experience that I'll never forget," said James. "I saw some amazing sights and made some brilliant friends. Green Gecko was my highlight - being with the children and teaching them new skills was incredible. This experience made me think a career in teaching is the way forward."

Abi Housley added: "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be part of the trip and meet the Gecko kids - it really has been one of the best experiences of my life to date.

"People keep asking me how it was, but there really are no words to describe my feelings. All I know is I will definitely be going back there one day."

To view a selection of images from the trip please click here.

SSTO develops international programmes

Louisa Jones has been jetting across the globe to promote SSTO courses to international students at a variety of partner institutions.

In her role as Principal Lecturer Quality Assurance & Partnership, Louisa travelled to Cyprus, Vietnam, Malaysia, China, Hong Kong and Singapore to oversee our provision of a variety of programmes.

These included Tourism, Hospitality & Event (THE) Management courses, along with our newly-introduced Sports Science offering.

Louisa spent time discussing opportunities for new collaborations, conducted interactive sessions with students and worked with staff from other UCLan course areas including Journalism and Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences.

She also attended Graduation ceremonies, networked with numerous external academics and chaired a course approval meeting at Hebei University, China.

During her tour Louisa checked on the progress of Hospitality Management students currently undertaking international internships, whilst the penultimate destination on her itinerary saw her greeted at Westin Xiamen Hotel by THE Alumni Martin Verpoorten, who is the General Manager.

Louisa commented: "Our overseas portfolio of courses is a key part of SSTO's continued commitment to offering a truly international experience to its students. The various partner institutions do an excellent job in delivering these to help create the global citizens of the future.

"It was nice to see how some of our Alumni have progressed in their respective industries and also to witness the progress of our current students undertaking internships. Hopefully they will use this experience as a springboard into successful careers after graduation."

UCLan teams up with Camp America

Students can now put their international experience towards a postgraduate-level degree, following a new partnership between UCLan and Camp America.

The Camp America Graduate Scheme allows students to gain 20 academic credits and a postgraduate certificate in International Industry Based Experience for their summer's work. These credits can then be put towards a relevant full degree, which are typically 180 in total.

An introduction to the course is held over two days at UCLan's Preston Campus on 1-3 May, where students get to attend a range of lectures and workshops.

The rest of the work is conducted online, and culminates in a written assignment which covers the personal, professional and academic development from the summer camp experience, based on recognised theoretical models and perspectives.

Nigel Garratt, Head of CPD at UCLan said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for students interested in postgraduate study. Experiences like Camp America can be invaluable for both personal and professional development, and this new initiative provides a unique chance to gain academic recognition too. Our expert lecturers will ensure the benefits of this experience are maximised."

Daniel Pugh, Marketing Coordinator at Camp America, said: "We're very proud of the skills that can be developed whilst working on a summer camp and we understand how it can improve employability prospects. This new opportunity will allow students to change their Camp America summer into something tangible, positively impacting on their continued professional development."

Students that wish to continue with their studies can progress to the next module, where an additional 40 credits are on offer for completing another assignment.

For more information please click here.

Careers event just the job for students

Our Division of Tourism, Hospitality and Events teamed up with UCLan Careers to stage its first ever Employers Forum.

A range of speakers delivered presentations about their companies, before offering help and advice on future career paths. Students were also given useful tips about creating eye-catching CVs and what prospective employers look for in job candidates.

Justina Ma from Marketing Lancashire opened the event, with Richard Simkin following on with an insight into his work with the Villa Group and his previous experiences in professional football.

Karen Bellew and Steph Williams explained the various options available with Merlin Entertainments, whilst Bill Jennings from Place Rec USA discussed the international opportunities available with his company.

Barry Fellowes and Wesley Royle from Hays Recruitment rounded off proceedings with an overview of how graduates should market themselves as they look for work.

Division Leader Jane Shaw said the event was a great opportunity for students to gain a better understanding of some of the challenges which lie ahead.

She said: "I'm really proud to have such great guest speakers come into UCLan and share their knowledge and experience with us. It's been a really interesting event and something we aim to build into our programmes in the future.

"We strive to give our students as much exposure to their respective industries as we possibly can whilst they're at UCLan, as we believe this is vital to their development."

SSTO staff support Embed the Pathway scheme

SSTO staff have been delivering workshops across Northern England as part of the RFL's new Embed the Pathway initiative.

Lecturers David Grecic and Robin Taylor visited Castleford and Stretford Academies to conduct sessions for parents of young players who are part of professional club set-ups.

Embed the Pathway is a talent development programme aimed at raising performance levels across all junior age groups, with the ultimate goal of creating players who will help England to World Cup success in the future.

David Grecic commented: "The hope is that if parents are more aware of the issues and methods of talent development, they can play an important role in supporting their child's journey to the elite level.

"The talks were streamed live to the clubs, but parents could also come along in person if they wished. The resources and activities used during the workshops are cascaded down again and delivered by coaches at each individual club to their players."

This initiative builds on UCLan's excellent relationship with the RFL that has been developed over the last five years. UCLan is the official education partner of Rugby League Learning and delivers the UKCC Level 4 coaching award to the sport's elite coaches.

For more information about the Embed the Pathway programme, please click here.

Careers Roadshow is a big hit

Over 700 students descended on UCLan to take part in an action-packed National Sports Roadshow.

The sports enthusiasts travelled from schools and colleges from all over the North West to enjoy a variety of hands-on activities.

These included practical sessions and interactive workshops in areas such as sports communications, coaching, management, science and therapy, all designed to showcase the diversity of careers available within the sports and fitness industry.

The students were also given the opportunity to test their own fitness and sports skills through elite coaching lessons and sports science laboratory demonstrations.

Nathan Browne, a 17-year-old pupil from King George V College in Southport, took part in a cycling test in UCLan's sports science laboratory which is used by professional sports teams and athletes including Wigan Warriors.

He said: "It was a great opportunity to try out some of the lab facilities at the University, as we don't have the chance to do things like this at college. The taster sessions have given me a good insight into the many possible sports related career options so I can start to focus on what I want to do."

Nathan's teacher Darren Brookfield added: "All of my students have enjoyed the event and the many activities on offer have allowed them to relate what they learn in the classroom to real-life, practical roles. They've also benefited from meeting industry professionals who've inspired the students to really push themselves."

UCLan's own students were also able to join in the activities as part of the University's Our UCLan Student Engagement Week. A host of leading sports organisations were in attendance including the Sports Therapy Association, the Institute of Coaching and Performance, Camp Leaders, PE Recruitment and Primal Health Academy.

Dr Adrian Ibbetson, Head of the School of Sport, Tourism and The Outdoors, commented: "We've really enjoyed welcoming so many young people who want a career in sport to our Preston Campus.

"They've been able to take part in a variety of activities in our multi-million pound facilities and meet the many industry professionals who've helped out at the Careers in Sport conference. The event has showcased just what job opportunities are out there in the sports industry."

Undergraduate Research Internship Scheme 2015

The Undergraduate Research Internship Scheme (URIS) 2015 is now open.

The scheme provides students with experience of real research projects with high quality research outcomes. All disciplines and research clusters are encouraged to put projects forward.

Past schemes have led to hundreds of research outputs, many of them with the intern listed as a co-author.

Our interns have also presented at research conferences internally and externally, and many of them are now registered on research degrees.

Interns gain a tremendous amount from the opportunity, experiencing research 'first hand' while acquiring a range of transferable skills which can help secure a graduate job or postgraduate place.

For more information about the scheme and how to apply please click here. The deadline for project applications is Friday, 27th March, 2015.

For details about previous student internships, please click here and here.