Our Open Evenings are lively events and a great way to find out about careers in the event industry in general, and our event management courses in particular. What’s great about these evenings is the diversity of attendees – and the significant number of parents who also come along to see what it’s all about.
And we’re not only talking about parents of 16 – 18 year olds, but also those of twenty-somethings, who’ve tried uni or an alternative career or education path and found that it wasn’t for them.
Parental concern
In an Orbis poll 98% of UK parents with children under 18 suggested they’d expect at least one of their children to explore further education. And it’s these parents, plus those with twenty-somethings still living at home, who are becoming increasingly concerned about professional prospects when it comes to finding further education which pays off, rather than requires them to
pay it off for the next thirty years!
Approximately 55% of these same parents anticipate they’ll also need to help with university living expenses, with just under half (45%) expecting to contribute to the notorious £9,000 a year tuition fees now implemented by most UK universities.
Whilst most parents, and of course their adult children, look towards further education as the next step towards independence, there are now much wider issues than ‘just’ financing further education to consider, as trending news items indicate:
- The increasing number of young adults (whether in employment, education or unemployed) aged up to 30 who are still living at home because the cost of living, and accommodation (The Independent).
- Impossible debts for graduates (The Telegraph).
- The considerable mental health worries, particularly stress and anxiety, amongst students who are trying to juggle rising accommodation costs as well as the costs of studying (BBC news).
- The rising number of ‘commuter’ students, whose struggle to meet the costs of uni means they have to continue living at home whilst they do so (The Guardian) – adding to their stress, reducing their study time and impacting on the home life of all concerned.
- A significant number – 47% – of those first graduates to study at university with the £9,000 yearly tuition fee having to move back home again afterwards whilst “their confidence that a degree has improved their chances of getting a good job is diminishing” (NUS report, Debt in the First Degree, 2015).
- The Government’s expectation that, whatever their own financial position, parents will make contributions to support their children through university, as the Telegraph’s article on Student debt makes clear:
“it is implicit that parents, whatever their income, will help out.”
All of which rightly concerns parents, who want their adult children to be independent, happy and facing a positive future – and career – but would undoubtedly prefer that any further or higher education they contribute to should actively help their kids to achieve this.
Parental interest
So why the parental interest in
Event Academy event management courses?
Our courses are recognised as event industry-leading qualifications, delivered by professional event experts, and delivering
Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) accreditation and work-ready event professionals.
An increasing number of hopefuls looking to break into the events industry are now pursuing our courses to get themselves work-ready in the profession, rather than taking university routes which, whilst expensive and long, also offer no guarantees of being able to deliver on the practical side of event management.
Of course, all worthwhile event education will cost something. Although ours are considerably less expensive than studying at university, they’re still an investment in education and it’s frequently the case that those under 30 who join our courses may be funded by family: so it’s only right that parents should share an interest in the courses and come along to our Open Evenings to find out more and to ask their own questions.
Parental questions answered
So what do they ask? Here’s a few examples of questions asked at our December 2017 Open Evening, answered by alumni, current students, lecturers.
In the ‘live’ courses, how big are the group sizes?
The overall cohort for courses can be quite large, depending on the course. Cohort groups is split into smaller groups of around 5 people in each group, each with dedicated tutor support. This works well across lectures and visits and especially when working on live projects, as responsibilities for organising aspects of the event are split across groups, and then within groups, so everyone has to get involved, take responsibility and communicate well.
Alumni Emily Beard shared:
“Working in groups means you have the chance to work with lots of different personalities, but that’s life, and this industry is all about working with people! You get something out of everybody in the group. At Event Academy, everyone wants you to succeed and there are always those around you who want to get the best out of everyone.”
What support is there, if you get behind?
Event Academy mentors, tutors and support staff try to be as flexible as possible. If any student feels things are overwhelming or other circumstances mean falling behind, then there’s a whole process in place:
- Talking to the course director and student services to try to come up with a workable solution, based on individual needs.
- Keeping communication going and using the support networks available (paticularly vital if doing online studies).
- Making the most of catch-up sessions, which can be organised in groups and classes.
Suzie Burton, who was just finishing her course in December 2017, had plenty to say to parents about support, especially as she had also spent some time studying at university:
“When you’re at school, it’s supportive. Then at college, there’s some support – but there’s nothing at uni. Here at Event Academy, the pastoral care is really supportive, and there’s support across the group for everyone, including those people who struggle.”
How many students are successful in getting jobs when they finish their courses, and where do they end up?
The most recent statistic (as of December 2017) shows 88% of alumni across all courses go on to work in the events industry, and into all kinds of roles: hotels; corporations; leading brands; agencies; venues, as just a few examples.
For some courses, Postgraduate and Degree-Alternative, the final work placement can lead directly into a role. Alumni Karen Lim shared that, when studying with Event Academy a few years ago, her own 3 month work placement was so successful
“I went for 3 months and have been there ever since!”
So how are the placements managed?
Event Academy staff work closely with the placement partner organisations / venue professionals and Course Director Justine Kane works hard with both students and partners to ensure suitable placements.
- Event Academy work with the students to discuss desired placements (and type of event role).
- Justine and her team liaise with compatible organisations run interviews.
- Once students are placed, the process is a managed placement, with Event Academy continuing to be involved.
Is it worth it?
This question is often asked because, for many parents we speak to, their measure of ‘value’ of the course isn’t just that their off-spring (of whatever age) should flourish on the course, but also achieve flourishing career prospects as a result.
Back to alumni Suzie, who’s a great example of someone whose parents were helping her to fund her studies on our Live Postgraduate course, and of course were hoping for good value for money. And did they get it? Certainly Suzie and her parents thinks so, especially as Suzie went straight from her course and into a full-time salaried events-related role with a top 500 company:
‘When I told my dad I’d been offered a job [with a top corporation] his first words were: “it was worth it then!”’
Of course everyone, and their circumstances, will be different, so there are plenty more questions to be asked about what’s on offer and how it could fit in with your own future – or that of your child.
To find out more:
Our Open Evenings are lively events and a great way to find out about careers in the event industry in general, and our event management courses in particular. What’s great about these evenings is the diversity of attendees – and the significant number of parents who also come along to see what it’s all about.
