Last week, over 100 students from across our Abingdon, Witney and Common Leys Farm campuses came together for our Annual Student Conference, held this year at the headquarters of digital security company Sophos, in Abingdon.

This amazing space provided a professional, real-world setting for students, staff, and senior leaders to come together to share ideas, develop key skills, and influence the future direction of the College.

In the morning, students were gathered in the lecture theatre as Principal Jacqui Canton, set the tone for the day, reminding students of the College’s ‘Be You. Be Extraordinary.’ ethos. This was followed by an introduction to Loud Speaker, a youth training provider delivering workshops to young people across the UK. Through their motivating, engaging and high-energy workshops, they aim to ‘shape resilient, creative, and confident individuals ready to conquer the world.’

Rich and Bella from Loud Speaker delivered one of their flagship workshops, ‘For Love or Money’ which gave students a colourful crash course in public speaking and confidence building. Students worked in teams to produce creative pitches for some unusual products you might not find on the high street, including the two-person hoody, the pet rock, and the baby mop. Using brilliantly witty role playing, advertising jingles and public speaking skills, the students went on to confidently present to a room full of people.

In the afternoon, students took to the conference rooms to discuss important topics in tutor-led sessions. Conversations about AI, sexploitation and college curriculum encouraged students to voice and debate their views, while raising awareness of key issues facing young people today.

Throughout the day, our students demonstrated a high level of tenacity, that was commended by our guest speakers Rich and Bella. The students fed back that they felt ‘inspired’, ‘engaged’ and ‘energised’ by the day. In a closing talk, Rich captivated the room, as he reminded our students, ‘if you want to be amazing one day, be amazing today’.

Cheryl Jones, Student Voice Coordinator and Careers Adviser:

We are so grateful to the team at Sophos for the use of their amazing facilities and their support on the day. Rich & Bella from Loud Speaker brought the energy and fantastic vibes.

Thank you so much to Cheryl Jones, who co-ordinated and ran this brilliant event! Visit our socials to see more of what happened on the day.