What can EDT do for me? - Students
Headstart
Headstart is a well-established education programme held in the summer of 30 universities providing Year 12 S5 students interested in mathematics or science with informed choices regarding technology-based degree courses and careers.
Primarily designed for 16 and 17 year-olds, Headstart provides a taste of university life at the time students are making their university decisions. Headstart students participate in a series of:
- Practical problem solving activities
- Lectures and presentations
- Visits to local technology companies
- Meeting with recent graduates and academics
The programme provides an opportunity for students to experience life as an undergraduate by living and working at university and also enables them to identify sources of funding and support. Through this hands-on experience Headstart aims to enlighten and inspire student's future degree choices.
Benefits to students
- Introduces students to several different branches of science, engineering and technology
- Provides hands-on experience of real practical problems
- Identifies various sources of funding and support
- Shows students what it’s like to study for a degree at university
- Helps students decide which university to apply for and explains different career routes
- Contribution to the Duke of Edinburgh Award
In addition to a wide range of broad-based Engineering courses, Focus courses concentrate on a single discipline, Insight courses are designed for girls only, with Science Technology and Society courses intended for those with a general scientific interest. Dragonfly modules for 9/S2 girls and Spectrum modules for all students from ethnic minorities provide opportunities for younger students to participate, helping to demonstrate the importance of diversity in the workplace.
About Headstart
- 2000 students from 13 to 17 years (48% females, 19 ethnic minorities) attend 31 Headstart courses throughout Great Britain
- 63% of Headstart students tracked through university are reading MEng courses
- Headstart is particularly useful for students interested in mathematics and/or science