Event to help young people make Steps to Success

City of York Council’s annual Steps to Success event is back at York Racecourse on Tuesday 20 October.

Held in the Knavesmire Stand from 3.30pm until 8.00pm, the event will provide information about the range of education and training opportunities available (including apprenticeships and other work based training).

The event looks to support young people in the city as they consider their options for Key Stage 4 and Post-16 education, training or employment, particularly as all current year 11 pupils now have to remain in training or education until the age of 18.

Young people will be able to access information from five different information zones at the session; Key Stage 4, Post-16, Progression to Higher Education, Career Pathways and Support Services, as well as the opportunity to hear about the experiences of current learners.

Attendees will also be able to view a series of presentations of around 15 minutes offering advice on Options for Key Stage 4 and Beyond, Options for Post 16 Education and Training, apprenticeships, Progression to Higher Education and Future Job Opportunities will run throughout the event.

Councillor Jenny Brooks, Executive member for Education, Children and Young People said: “This popular annual event provides young people and their parents and carers with information and advice about their options for the future. As a council we are committed to supporting young people across the city and helping them meet their aspirations. Through work with a range of schools, employers, training providers and universities, Steps to Success looks to offer the opportunity for young people to consider their next steps as well as the longer term progression routes and higher education options that are available to young people.”

City of York Council has worked in partnership with the University of York and York St John University to stage the event, as part of its commitment to widening participation in Higher Education.

For any additional information please contact Beverley Wills, 14-19 Support Adviser, City of York Council on 01904 553008 orbeverley.wills@york.gov.uk .

Travel2Campus initiative to launch in York

City of York Council’s i-Travel York have launched an exciting new Travel2Campus campaign in partnership with the national sustainable travel charity Sustrans.

Travel2Campus aims to encourage the city’s students and staff to make healthier, cheaper and more enjoyable travel choices for their everyday journeys.

Advisors have been on hand at Freshers’ fairs throughout the city to give students who are new to York advice on travelling around the city. This will include free bike loans and try-outs, bus maps, travel route planning and guidance on safe travel in and around York

Cllr Ian Gillies, Executive member for Transport and Planning, said: “University and higher education can quite often be the first time young people have been away from home for an extended period of time. Therefore it is a great time to get into the habit of using York’s sustainable travel network, whether that is walking, cycling, public transport or car sharing.”

Alice Thatcher, Sustrans Project Officer for the Travel2Campus project said: ‘’We are delivering a series of exciting activities over the next 6 months to all students and staff of the universities and colleges. We will be running social walks and rides which showcase the best routes to campus and around the city, we will be running a series of travel safety campaigns including Light Up and Be Seen and Lock it or Lose it, and we will be skilling up students in bike maintenance and ride leading. It’s all free and available to all students in York! For more info, please follow us on Twitter and Facebook.’’

There will also be chance for students to volunteer to become a Travel2Campus Champion, where they will support with project delivery across York through attending events, social walks and rides. Ride Leader and Bike Maintenance training will be provided.

Travel2Campus will concentrate on York’s Higher and Further Education organisations, including the University of York, York St John University, York College and Askham Bryan College.

The campaign is funded by Local Sustainable Transport Fund money secured by the council’s i-Travel programme for use in 2015/16 will be delivered by Sustrans.

You can follow the project on Facebook: Travel2Campus York and Twitter: @travel2campus or visit: www.itravelyork.info

First York announce bus service changes

Number 4 to loop through Skeldergate – direct link between Acomb and York University broken

First buses have responded to complaints about unreliability and lack of capacity on some bus services.

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A major change to the number 4 – the best used bus service in the City – means that it will no longer travel to the University. Instead it will loop through Skeldergate and over Skeldergate Bridge to reach its new terminus on Clifford Street. There are frequent buses from there to the University.

The last change to the route of the number 4 -which took the service on a meandering journey through Tang Hall before reaching Heslington – was heavily criticised by passengers. On occasions 3 or 4 buses would arrive in Acomb in convoy. We hope that the new service – which retains a 10 minute frequency during the day – will prove to more reliable when it is introduced on 22^nd November. The Sunday frequency will be 20 minutes while buses will continue to run every 30 minutes in the evening.

Some minor timetable changes are promised on the number 1 service which links Chapelfields to Wigginton. A twelve minute frequency is promised at peak times between Monday and Friday.

Other changes affect service 6 (which gets a direct link to York University) and service 10 which will run via Battlefields Way, while an additional morning service will be provided between Dunnington and York College on Tadcaster Road, with an early morning service between Bishopthorpe and the railway station also being introduced.

What’s on: PTM or DIY?

Thur 8 Oct for 10 weeks

Come and learn to DIY, it will soon be cheaper and more fun than PTM. (Pay the man).

By the end of the course you will have developed the skills and understanding to tackle some of the home maintenance and improvements you’ve always wanted to make.

For further information email fulford.adulted@york.gov.uk , call 01904 552806, or Click here .