Ascension Announces Programs at Lourdes Hill College

Ascension Education is proud to announce that it has partnered with Lourdes Hill College to bring our Pathways Programs to their students. Courses will run on the 28th of June and are open to all year ten, eleven, and twelve students at the school. Pathways Program options include: business, medicine, engineering, law, and for the first time our allied health program. This allied health program was developed specifically for Lourdes Hill College and CHAC due to the large number of graduates which pursue work in this industry. It will cover tertiary options such as nursing, midwifery, occupational therapy, speech pathology, and physiotherapy.

Students participating in a practical activity as apart of the Pathways to Medicine program at the University of Queensland.

As always, our programs will be facilitated by senior university students or recent graduates in their respective degrees. We use a small class-size setting to cover transitioning to university life, career options, course content, and admissions requirements. This will give Lourdes Hill students a taste of a degree, before they have to commit to at least a semester of study and take on a HECS debt. Those interested in reading more about what our programs entail can do so here.

Students undertaking a programming activity as apart of a recent Pathways to Engineering programs at The Queensland Academies.

Located in Hawthorne and overlooking the Brisbane River, Lourdes Hill College is an all girls independent catholic school, which accommodates students in year 7-12. Those interested in finding out more about the school can do so here. If you require any more information you can contact Ascension Education here or Richelle Staley (Lourdes Hill College Career Counsellor) at RST@lhc.qld.edu.au.

Students can register for the program here.

Ascension Announces Programs at Cannon Hill Anglican College

Ascension Education is proud to announce that it has partnered with Cannon Hill Anglican College to bring our Pathways Programs to their students. Our Pathways to Business program will be run on the 1st of June, and our Pathways to Allied Health program will run for the first time on the 21st of June. This allied health program was developed specifically for CHAC and Lourdes Hill College due to the large number of graduates which pursue work in this industry. It will cover tertiary options such as nursing, midwifery, occupational therapy, speech pathology, and physiotherapy.

A student undertaking a negotiating activity as apart of a recent Pathways to Business program at The Queensland Academies.

As always, our programs will be facilitated by senior university students or recent graduates in their respective degrees. We use a small class-size setting to cover transitioning to university life, career options, course content, and admissions requirements. This will give CHAC students a taste of a degree, before they have to commit to at least a semester of study and take on a HECS debt. Those interested in reading more about what our programs entail can do so here.

Students participating in a practical activity as apart of the Pathways to Medicine program at the University of Queensland.

Located in the east of Brisbane, CHAC is an independent, co-educational day school which accommodates students from prep to year twelve. Those interested in finding out more about the school can do so here. If you require any more information regarding the program, please don’t hesitate to contact Ascension Education here.

Students wishing to register for either of the programs at CHAC can do so here.

Pathways to Law Launch at UQ

Students experimenting with Python as apart of the Pathways to Engineering program.

Saturday marked the launch of our very first open program, which was hosted at the beautiful University of Queensland St. Lucia campus. Students from all over Brisbane joined us to explore what a career in medicine, law, engineering, or business could look like for them. As usual, students worked in small classes to collaborate and be mentored by senior university students and/or professionals in their specialist field.

As well as being the very first open program, with attendees from multiple schools, Saturday was the launch to our Pathways to Law program. Seven students collaborated with fourth year UQ Law/Science student Sarah Kendall to discuss in detail what tertiary study and a career in law looks like. The day included in depth analysis of cases like those that these students may very well face one day, alongside practical activities such as mooting. The first law program was received sensationally well, with the inaugural class of students giving Ascension an average score of 9.33/10 for how successful we were at giving of an overview at studying law, and every student saying they’d recommend our programs to a friend.

“Although they were challenged to step outside their comfort zone, each one boldly took up the challenge to try and beat their opponent in court.” - Sarah Kendall, Law Presenter.

Students undertaking practical activities as apart of the Pathways to Medicine program.

Concurrently to the law program, we welcomed students to our medicine, engineering, and business programs. Our medicine program saw students taking patient histories, practicing clinical skills like auscultation, and learning how to take blood pressure with sphygmomanometers, all under the capable tutelage of third year Doctor of Medicine/Master of Public Health student Douglas James. Whilst in Engineering, Matthew Brock walked his class through the multiple facets of engineering, which saw students try their hand at both bridge building exercises, as well as python coding and circuitry. Lastly, William Finn explored the many possible majors of a business degree with his class, resulting in: negotiations, pitching marketing strategies, understanding basic business finance, and even an international business strategy for Ascension Education!

In addition to our programs, students were lead on a tour of St. Lucia campus by some of the wonderful UQ ambassadors. Students were specifically able to see some of the facilities relevant to the Pathway Program they attended on the day! This was in addition to receiving a merchandise pack courtesy of UQ. We would also like to take this time to thank The University of Queensland for their support with hosting these programs.

A Day At QACI

Last week, Ascension Education successfully brought its Pathways Programs to the Queensland Academies Creative Industries Campus (QACI), offering students the chance to participate in programs relating to business, engineering, and medicine. On average students reported feeling 25% more prepared to make decisions about their tertiary studies following the day’s events, and gave their presenters a score of 9.2/10 for their ability to give an overview of the degree.

Students during the Pathways to Engineering Program working with Arduino circuit boards.

Over in Engineering, Matthew Brock dazzled his students with the intricacies of the various branches of engineering, ensuring that there were ample opportunities for the students to invent creative solutions to problems. When asked about their favourite part of the day, one student replied “definitely the hands on interactive activities like building the bridge”. This day also marked the launch of a software component to the program, which included completing a Python programming tutorial and some exercises with an Arduino circuit board.

A student undertaking a doctor-patient simulation as apart of the Pathways to Medicine course.

In Medicine, Timothy Davis, in his second year of his postgraduate medical studies, guided his students through the complexities of both academic and practical medicine. “Whilst only a brief insight into a day in the life a medical student, the activities, such as clinical history taking, diagnosis and blood pressure monitoring were thoroughly enjoyed by the students, and I believed reaffirmed in their minds that they were on the right path,” said Timothy, reflecting on the day’s events.

A student during a negotiation exercise as apart of the Pathways to Business course.

In Business, presentation stalwart and Ascension Education director, William Finn, once again shared with students the diverse range of opportunities that come with business studies, with students having the opportunity to dabble with disciplines ranging from marketing to finance. “The students had an outstanding amount of fun, particularly with the practical activities such as negotiation. Believe me, these students were shrewd – Donald Trump, look out!” said William in describing the day.

At Ascension Education, our mission is to better prepare students to make difficult choices about their tertiary education options. We are constantly offering new days for students to experience our Pathways Programs, and if you believe your son or daughter could benefit from the type of activities performed at QACI, we are pleased to invite you to join our programs at the University of Queensland on the 27th of October 2018, which will be open to students from all schools. Students can register for the programs here.

Ascension Announces Programs at The University of Queensland

Students completing a bridge building exercise at a recent Pathways to Engineering course.

Ascension Education is proud to announce our very first open program at UQ’s beautiful St. Lucia Campus. These programs are open to all high schoolers in the region as well as any adults currently in a gap year, considering a career change or looking to switch degrees. These pathways programs will be presented between 10am and 4pm on the 27th of October, 2018, and will be in the fields of medicine, law, engineering, and business.

As always, our programs will be facilitated by senior university students or recent graduates in their respective degrees. We use a small class-size setting to cover transitioning to university life, career options, course content, and admissions requirements. Which gives students a great taste of a degree, before they have to commit to at least a semester of study and take on a HECS debt. Prospective students interested in attending the programs should register here.

A student during a negotiation exercise as apart of a recent Pathways to Business course.

The University of Queensland is the largest tertiary institution in the state, so for many of our students who are considering UQ as an option, this will be an invaluable experience to come onto the grounds and learn a little more about what life at UQ is like. As apart of our agreement with UQ, students interested in completing their tertiary studies there will have the option to attend a lunch time tour of the campus during the day. However as a completely independent organisation, we thoroughly look forward to discussing the incredible tertiary pathways also available at other universities in Queensland including QUT and Griffith, as well as some of the options interstate, including UNSW and the University of Melbourne.

You can find the link for registrations here. Otherwise if you have any questions or would like any additional information regarding the programs you can contact the Ascension Education here.

Ascension Announces Programs at QACI

Ascension Education is proud to announce that it has partnered with the Queensland Academies Creative Industries Campus (QACI) to bring our Pathways Programs to their students. Courses will run on the 27th of September and are open to all students at the school. Pathways Program options include: Business, Medicine, Engineering, and for the first time our Law program. Law is a very popular tertiary pathway for QACI graduates, and we look forward to bringing further clarity for those currently considering it.

The Queensland Academies Creative Industries Campus, located in the QUT Kelvin Grove precinct.

As always, our programs will be facilitated by senior university students or recent graduates in their respective degrees. We use a small class-size setting to cover transitioning to university life, career options, course content, and admissions requirements (specifically for IB graduates). This will give QACI students a great taste of a degree, before they have to commit to at least a semester of study and take on a HECS debt. QACI students interested in attending the programs should register here. 

Located in the heart of the Kelvin Grove Urban Village, QACI is a selective-entry independent public school for highly-capable students in Years 10-12. Students undertake the rigorous International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme; an internationally-recognised pre-university level qualification designed to educate the whole person through its broad, balanced curriculum. If you are interested in finding out more about the school, you can do so here. 

Ascension Education would also like to thank both QACI and their P&C for their generous contribution towards the programs. Their financial support means that all QACI students who attend the program are able to receive a 50% discount on registration!

Engineering Pathways Program Launch

Pathways to Engineering - exploring tertiary education experiences

Following a successful program launch in May, the Pathways Programs returned to BBC once again during the July holidays.

This marked the launch of the Ascension Education Pathways to Engineering program, focussing on what studying engineering at university is really like. It was a very well attended new addition to the medicine and business programs also offered.

Attendees rated the program an average of 9/10. More excitingly, students reported a 40% increase in how prepared they felt to make decisions about their future career and tertiary study!

Check out what students are saying!

"Hearing from the experiences of a current medical student, and being able to ask them questions, was invaluable!" - Abbas, Year 11

"The way in which the course in run made it really enjoyable. The connection between students and presenter was relaxed and real... [it was] really beneficial!" - Rhys, Year 12

"The hands-on activities during the program were unlike anything I'd done before" - Patrick, Year 11

We're exciting for the second half of the year, and to see more students experience increased drive and clarity around tertiary education decisions as a result of our programs.