Anaeko is proud to support another year of Queen’s University Belfast Bright Future Collective higher education program. This program gives talented young people, who face additional barriers in life, the opportunity to fulfil their potential through higher education.
“The Pathway Opportunity Programme has made a huge difference to hundreds of talented young people, who are least likely to attend higher education, because of their background. For many of these students, living expenses can become the major barrier to their success.
“I am delighted to launch the Bright Future Collective and we are looking forward to engaging with many more local businesses as we progress with the initiative. The contribution of the Collective will help us to create life changing opportunities for determined young students. The initiative is a shining example of what can be achieved when industry and higher education work together for the economic benefit of the region and beyond – the benefits to wider society are immeasurable.”
Professor Ian Greer, Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s University Belfast
For a week, beginning 22nd to 26th July 2024, sixth form students joined Queen’s for the final leg of their ‘Pathway Opportunity Summer School Programme’. This is a university wide, outreach initiative, with students recruited by the Widening Participation Unit. Students with no family history of university but who have been identified by their schools as bright and motivated, are encouraged to apply. This year, over two hundred students joined a diverse range of programmes, from chemical engineering, computer science to health and medicine, to law and psychology.
The programme started in February 2024 when students visit Queen’s for an induction day and an afternoon of teaching. They return to their school studies while simultaneously undertaking their online university studies. They join us for a full teaching day in April and the highlight of the programme is the July summer school week. They live in Elms student village during the week and there is a full social calendar in the evenings.
As a partner of the programme Anaeko got the opportunity to attend the Pathway Summer Scheme employer day on Wednesday 24th July for the Computer Science Summer School with the chance to meet the students and a day packed with workshops and panel discussions. As a member of the Bright Future Collective Anaeko give a gift to the Pathway Opportunity Programme Bursary Fund. Allowing Queens to provide bursaries to students who may have thought university was out of reach.