The ceremony for up to sixty-two students will take place at the Taliesin Arts Centre at Swansea University. The participating students come from Amman Valley Comprehensive, Bishop Gore Comprehensive, Bishop Vaughan Catholic School, Coleg Sir Gâr, Gower College Swansea,  Neath Port Talbot College, Pembrokeshire College and St. Joseph’s Catholic School.

The initiative is aimed at students from local schools and colleges who have the ability to succeed but may experience barriers preventing them from progressing to higher education.

Students spent two weeks at Swansea Metropolitan University and two weeks at Swansea University, gaining a unique experience of university life. They were taught study skills essential for higher education and chose one subject module from the following: Science and Engineering; Computer Science; Psychology, Criminology and Law; Sports, Leisure, Public Services and Enterprise; English, Media Studies and History; and Health, Education, Childhood Studies and Counselling.  Lecturers from Swansea Metropolitan University, Swansea University, The Open University in Wales and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David all taught on the Summer University.

Councillor Paul Meara, Coleg Sir Gâr, Gower College Swansea, Grŵp Gwalia, Neath Port Talbot College, Pembrokeshire College are all sponsoring prizes which will be presented to the students who have excelled in their subject.

Chair of the South West Wales Reaching Wider Partnership,Professor Alan Speight of Swansea University said: “We are delighted to be hosting the awards ceremony this year.  Lecturers from Swansea University, Swansea Metropolitan University, The Open University in Wales and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, taught in partnership on the scheme and provided the students with a truly unique opportunity to see first hand what higher education has to offer.  The students have given up four weeks of their summer holidays to take part in the programme and the award ceremony is a wonderful way of acknowledging their hard work”. 

Phavandeep Dosanjh from Gower College Swansea using ‘Motion Capture’ technology as part of the Computer Science module.