Programme for pupils on the right path

Published on Wednesday 22 July 2009 09:51

EDINBURGH University has been highlighted as an example of best practice in a report on fair access to education.

The report by the Panel for Fair Access to the Professions, led by former health secretary Alan Milburn, singles out the university's Pathways to the Professions Project for its success in raising aspirations to the professions.

The scheme has been run by Edinburgh University since 2001 to encourage pupils from state schools into law, medicine, veterinary medicine and architecture through a programme of work observation, pre-application advice and interviews, shadowing undergraduates and information sessions for parents.

The programme runs across all 46 secondary schools in Edinburgh in collaboration with professional bodies such as the Law Society of Scotland, the Faculty of Advocates, the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, BMA (Scotland) and the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland.

Medical student Callum Gillespie, from West Lothian, was first in his family to go to university.

He said: "As I attended the Pathways events, I began to feel more at home with the university environment and this gave me real confidence when applying."