Source: City of Plymouth
We currently have 17 Care Leavers aged 18 to 23 who are at university. 10 of our young people are studying here in Plymouth at one of our local institutions but the rest are attending universities across the country including Bristol, Liverpool, Bath, Greenwich, Manchester and West London.
What is it like being a care experienced university student?
James is a 19 year old university student who is studying Economics at the University of the West of England (UWE).
Reflecting on when he moved to university, he said: “I was very well supported by the Care Leavers team. The team paid and organised the moving van for me, which honestly helped me a lot!
James also completed work experience at Plymouth City Council, he said: “The week helped me develop my understanding of local economic development and also presented, to me, the sheer number of functions that the council has to keep the city working.
“Especially coming from a care leaver background, it really helps me build up my employment skills and allowed me to explore future career options, such as local government.”
Steeve, 23, has graduated his Foundation Degree in Science in Culinary Arts Management this summer from the University of West London. Steeve has always had high educational aspirations and has worked hard to achieve this goal, in fact after graduating he has gone on to further study in this subject.
Steeve provided some lovely feedback about his Personal Advisor: “I just wanted to say thank you to you personally and to Plymouth City Council for supporting me for years”.
Councillor Jemima Laing, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care, said: “It is excellent to see how many of our care experienced young people have moved on to university and higher education, I am so proud of them all and the amazing things that they are all doing.
“We know that the journey to higher education is exciting, but it can be challenging.
“Our staff have done an amazing job in supporting each care experienced young person.
“I hope the achievements we are celebrating here serve as real inspiration for the younger children in our care to think as ambitiously as possible about their own futures.”