It’s been almost 18 months since we began our relationship with IntoUniversity Salford Central at the Beacon Centre in Salford – the partnership between IntoUniversity, the University of Salford and the University of Manchester. Mawdsleys is one of the cornerstone funders of the centre, which supports over 1000 young people aged 7 to 18 each year to realise their ambitions, achieve their academic potential, develop vital skills and gain experience of the world of work.

Below are the thoughts of a Centre’s Year 7 student, who has strong academic abilities but has struggled with confidence and communications skills, in his own words:

What do you hope to achieve by coming to IntoUniversity?

‘I hope to achieve better grades when I get to Year 11 and have a good career. I’m in Year 7 at the moment but I’d like to be either a scientist or a businessman in the future.’

How has IntoUniversity helped you?

‘IntoUniversity has improved my soft skills like confidence, communication and teamwork. In the workshops in school, I had to communicate with my team, and I improved my communication at Academic Support as I had to stand up and present a speech to the class.’

What do you most enjoy about IntoUniversity?

‘It’s usually very calm and I can focus on my work. It gives me time to do my homework and stay on top of my work. My favourite thing about IntoUniversity is how fun it is.’

How has IntoUniversity supported you to think about your future?

‘Mostly in the Future Readiness projects because they have made me think about what I want to do in the future. I’m developing both my academic and soft skills which will help me to advance through my GCSEs and college.’

Mawdsleys is proud to be supporting IntoUniversity in working with universities to provide local learning centres where young people are inspired to achieve.