102 Future Leaders Inspired at Villiers Park’s Biggest Ever University of Bath Residential

In July, 102 Year 10 Future Leaders from across the country attended a three-day residential hosted at the University of Bath. 

The residential was packed with talks and project work, kicking off with Dale Willis who delivered an informative talk about apprenticeships. One Future Leader reported that they are interested in a career in chemical engineering and before this talk planned to go to university, but is now considering doing a degree apprenticeship as they enjoy practical work. 

Another student found out about apprenticeships in filming and directing during an exercise in the talk, where Dale got students to simply search ‘apprenticeships in X’ (X being their chosen field) on the internet. This was a useful tasks for many students who were able to easily see potential opportunities open to them, supporting our young people to make informed decisions about their future. 

Alfie from Hastings and Bexhill reflected on this talk, sharing that he ‘found out that you can go to university and do an apprenticeship at the same time’ and that though he hadn’t considered university before, noting that no-one in his ‘family had been to university.’ This demonstrates the success of our programme — giving young people the tools and knowledge to reach their full potential. 

A psychology professor at the University of Bath delivered a lecture on sensory illusions, using interactive tricks to show how unreliable the human memory is. This engaged the students in a hands-on experience of university style learning.

• ‘I loved it!’ — Future Leader 
• ‘It made me more excited [about going to university]’ —Future Leader 

The residential also saw visits from two of our corporate partners: Sopra Steria and AM, who both delivered employability sessions. Alfie from our Hastings and Bexhill hub said of the Sopra Steria workshop that ‘it helped me build a bit of confidence because I went up and spoke in front of everyone.’ 

The Sopra Steria session gave students the chance to develop their employability skills, working collaboratively on a team project to problem solve and present their solution. AM offered Future Leaders a comprehensive overview of a vast array of departments and careers in their company, giving valuable knowledge of the workplace. 

Villiers Park held a Year 10 Celebration Event, where young people from across our hubs were recognised for their work, especially in the Leadership Challenge which over 10,000 students have now taken part in. Alum Nasem gave a speech, inspiring young people to ‘dream so big people call you crazy.’ 

Students then travelled into the city for a tour of Bath from student ambassadors, followed by some independent free time. Teachers from our partner schools noted the value of this time, giving students an appreciation for the importance of considering the location of a university. 

Across two days of the residential, Future Leaders worked collaboratively to create a presentation board of the degree and apprenticeship opportunities in a certain sector. Students were placed in groups based on subject interest, mixing schools and building networks. The project boards created were exceptional, and were displayed in a project fair where a winner was announced. Stefan, from Swindon, found that this opportunity to meet students from across the country is ‘unique compared to other trips.’ Stefan was not alone in enhancing his communications skills: 

• ‘I'm more confident with speaking to people that I've never met before while being here.’ - Liv, Cambridgeshire 

Villiers Park offers ours thanks to the University of Bath and its Student Ambassadors, who supported the residential and offered a valuable insight to participants. We are pleased to have brought together young people from across the country to empower and inspire our Future Leaders to realise their full potential.