Last week was our annual Festival of Student Governance event in partnership with the Association of Colleges, and supported by the Blagrave Trust. Each year we welcome young people from colleges across the country to our bespoke training event as part of the country’s largest further education event.

We spoke with some of the delegates to get their impressions of the event and will be releasing some feature articles in the coming days to share their insight.

Today we hear all about Harrison Ricketts experience

“When the Heart of Worcestershire College offered to send me on a 2-day residential trip to Birmingham for the Festival of Student Governance, my honest first thought was relief it was only going to be under an hour train journey; compared to other student governors, who would travel 5 hours and more to go! 

I was so excited to attend and meet so many like-minded people across the country in similar roles to myself. I felt that this would give me the perfect opportunity to gain experience in how governance works in other colleges, as well as learning how I might be able to support my own passion projects. 

The Festival of Student Governance provided exactly that, a platform for student governors to learn and interact with one another.

Once I had arrived at the hotel that was fully booked by Unloc, I was greeted by a friendly team of Unloc staff. They were extremely helpful, and they made it an exceptionally smooth experience of registering and finding my hotel room.

During the training, the Unloc staff were really engaged with the activities that we were all doing, ensuring that everyone was taking part, learning, and having fun.  I felt that the Unloc staff did an amazing job keeping us all safe, whilst also being able to attend the Association of Colleges Annual Conference and exhibition!

Obviously, networking was a major part of this experience. We were given time to just chat with everyone and learn where we came from, and what we have experienced as student governors. 

There were, as you might expect, a lot of LinkedIn connections popping up! Throughout the 2 days, we got to see several guest speakers, where they spoke about their area of expertise and spread advice for the new, and more experienced student governors. 

We got to see faces such as the founder and Managing Director of Unloc, Hayden Taylor, the Senior Policy Manager at AoC, Eddie Playfair; the CEO of the AoC, David Hughes CBE; and so many more!

Being able to be present at the AoC’s annual conference was a massive privilege and honour! I was able to absorb so much knowledge surrounding education and governance, whilst meeting so many interesting people from a multitude of backgrounds. 

Being at this conference made me feel as if I was able to have a profound influence as a student and representative. It gave me the opportunity to share my beliefs and thoughts on current issues within education such as environmental impact, student voice, and enrichment activities.

On the second day of our training, when we were in the AoC’s annual conference, the student governor training was given their own room where we took part in exercises like holding mock governor meetings and playing the roles and responsibilities of different governors. 

All the student governors also got to attend one of the conference’s breakout sessions, where we could learn about specific areas within governance and education. 

Harrison and Stuart Laverick, Principal of Heart of Worcestershire College pledging to support #StudentVoiceMatters!

I took part in “A Strategic Approach to Enrichment in Colleges” delivered by AoC Sport, the Chichester College Group, the Northern Council for Further Education (NCFE), and the University of Derby. Other sessions discussed areas such as Higher Technical Qualifications, Inclusive Curriculums, College’s Green Skills, Youth Social Action, and the Curriculum of the Future!

After attending the Festival of Student Governance and the AoC’s Annual Conference & Exhibition, I feel more confident in my role as a student governor and re-energised to put all my efforts into improving my college. 

Furthermore, this experience has left me with knowledge I may never have received, as well as long-lasting connections with student governors and education leaders across the country. 
Thank you to Unloc and all the partner’s that made this experience possible, I would fully recommend this to all student governors everywhere – especially future student governors of Heart of Worcestershire College!

Recently we released our video capturing some of the best moments of the 2021 Festival of Student Governance event which was held at the ICC in Birmingham. We’re listening to the real voices and feedback of the many inspiring young people that attended the two day event, so it was great to catch up with one of our delegates, Cassidy Fieldsend.

Cassidy is a 18 year old student from Eastleigh College in Hampshire, and is currently doing a Foundation Year in Art. Cassidy has been a Student Governor now for several months and her future ambition is to work in entertainment and broadcasting.

Cassidy was kind enough to share her experience of last year’s event:

“Entering the Festival of Student Governance, I really had no idea what to expect. Not only was this kind of event new to me, but I’d only become a student governor recently. I didn’t have many expectations of the role, and being taken to Birmingham to attend an event as big as the Association of Colleges Annual Conference was definitely not what I anticipated!

Leading up to the two-day trip, I didn’t feel too nervous. Nor did I when I was checking into the hotel. But once I headed down to meet everyone else over dinner, the nerves finally kicked in.

The evening meal was kicked off by some fantastic guest speakers – whose inspiring words frightened me to be honest. Listening to them describe not only the next two days, but the coming year, made me realise the gravity and importance of the responsibility I’d taken on.

As a new governor, I was aware I had a lot to learn, but I didn’t realise just how much there was. It felt absolutely impossible.

But the more I listened to everyone around me talk, I realised that I was in the right place; the whole point of this trip was to learn how to be a great governor!

So with a slight change of perspective, my worries were shaped into a determination that would help me get the most of the next day.

After an evening of quizzes, greetings, and games, we all met again over breakfast and then walked to Birmingham’s International Convention Centre for the Association of Colleges Annual Conference.

Now, when I said before that I didn’t know what to expect, I definitely wasn’t anticipating to be welcomed with a strobe-filled interpretive dance piece, illustrating the dangers of the climate crisis.

This thrilling start to the conference was also one of the many ways the event allowed students to showcase their studies.

Alongside the dance students; those studying catering, event management, and more were able to gain experience by working on the event. It was reassuring to see how the FE sector truly believes in those they’re teaching. And as a student attending, it felt great to be seen on the same level as all these professionals.

The rest of our morning focused on clarifying what it means to be a governor. We were taught crucial things regarding our own roles, the function and purpose boards, and the current state of the educational sector. Even the simpler-seeming things, like the language and terminology we’re likely to come across, were incredibly helpful to be taught.

The day was packed full of information but the Unloc team got it across perfectly without it feeling overwhelming. They kept us involved and interested with various activities, including a practice board meeting. As a practical learner, this was such a memorable and valuable way to learn.

We also attended breakout sessions of our own choosing, educating us on topics such as inclusivity, diversity and sustainability.

The support and guidance from the Unloc team was immensely helpful. It was also really comforting to speak with other Student Governors – it was great for us new governors to see that we were all in the same boat, and also to speak to experienced governors who had been in our position.

Being surrounded by all these amazing young people was possibly the most inspiring part of the trip.

In just two days, I went from knowing very little to feeling, not only prepared, but excited about my new responsibilities. The Festival of Student Governance was a great start to what I hope will be a great year as governor!

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