Career in Focus - IntoUniversity programme

As part of the Career in Focus IntoUniversity programme, over the spring/summer Laura has given a series of talks with slides on her architectural career and architectural insight to school age students and, as part of it, she also organised workshops on test projects for them.

It was inspiring to hear the students' feedback and their questions about the architectural profession. Some of the feedback even made it into subsequent presentations. It gave her the opportunity to explain what we do in simple terms, not an easy task for such a complex job. All the effort was well repaid by the wonderful and imaginative projects that came out of the workshops with the children.

Students comments included "the best things about the programme has been learning new things about jobs because I didn't know what job/careers I would go into and meeting people already working in those careers gave me an insight into their jobs>.

IntoUniversity is a Charity that provides local learning centres where young people are inspired to achieve. At each local centre IntoUniversity offers an innovative programme that supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to attain either a university place or another chosen aspiration. Some activities, such as most of the Careeer in Focus sessions, are carried out in schools directly.

IntoUniversity began in 2002 as a homework club in North Kensington. They are now operating 21 learning centres across London, Nottingham, Bristol, Oxford, Brighton, Leeds and Southampton, with ambitious plans to expand to 10 UK cities.

Programmes provides children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds with the help that middle-class children receive as a matter of course. There are three main strands: Academic Support, FOCUS, Mentoring.

Young people from Britain’s poorest backgrounds face a considerable educational disadvantage. They do far less well at school, they are unlikely to go to university, they have little chance of entering the professions.

Edward Williams Architects is proud to support the incredible work of IntoUniversity.