Experiences of your school days wanted

From the Telegraph & Argus, first published Thursday 3rd Mar 2005.

Students past and present are being invited to share their learning experiences on a website promoting post-16 education.

Designers of the site want to hear from people who are still at schools, colleges or doing apprenticeships as well as those who have now finished courses and got jobs.

The initiative was launched yesterday at Shipley College's Aim Higher World of Work exhibition.

The pioneering website is part of a project run by Bradford Confederation, a partnership of all the district's secondary schools, colleges and work-based learning providers.

The idea behind it is to help raise young people's achievements by making sure they get the right information about all the post-16 education opportunities open to them and using other people's real-life experiences to get them on the right learning route.

Website project manager Duncan Griffiths said: "There's no better way to tell people what it's really like to be in post-16 education than to hear other people's experiences."

Mitesh Singadia has already volunteered to tell his story on the website.

Mitesh, 23 , was a student at Shipley College five years ago and now he has returned as an IT lecturer.

He said: "I came to Shipley College from school with bad exam results. The College gave me a chance. I stayed for two years and got a BTEC National Diploma in computer studies."

After Shipley College, Mitesh went to university and got a degree.

"If Shipley hadn't given me that chance when I was 16, I don't know where I would have ended up."

Students' experiences, along with Mitesh's story, will appear on a website later in the year showcasing academic, vocational and work based training opportunities across the whole of the Bradford district.

If you have a learning experience you want to share then find out how you can do it by visiting www.bdprofiles.org.uk.

Anyone who has finished a post-16 course in the last ten years and is now in higher education or work, can send their story on-line by visiting www.wyprofiles.org.uk

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