Aberdeen FC Community Trust and the University of Aberdeen's successful schools and communities partnership will be extended until 2026, it has been announced.
Since it kicked off in December 2018, the partnership has seen the University and Aberdeen FC Community Trust (AFCCT) work together in communities throughout the north-east, providing support and input to the Trust’s successful school and community engagement programmes to encourage pupils to consider coming to university.
This includes the AFCCT Partner Schools Initiative, which runs various activities aimed at addressing poverty-related attainment issues at primary and secondary schools in Aberdeen city and shire.
Over the last six years, AFCCT staff collaborated with lecturers from the University’s Business School to run workshops at a range of local primary and secondary schools including Culter, Muirfield, Heathryburn, St Andrews, Kintore,Dyce and Quarryhill primary schools and Oldmachar, Portlethen, Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Northfield and Lochside academies.
The sessions aim to teach basic economic and business principles by using a football club as an example to engage the youngsters. One session even involved the development, production and marketing of a hypothetical new Pittodrie pie!
A further initiative that supports the University’s widening access and ‘open to all’ agenda involves bringing a group of pupils from an AFCCT partner school to attend a tour of the University campus. St Machar Academy pupils have already enjoyed such a visit and there are plans to roll this out at more Trust partner schools this year. In addition, accountancy students at the University have enjoyed a tour of Pittodrie and received a presentation from AFC’s Financial Director.
Commenting on the hugely successful collaboration with the University of Aberdeen, AFCCT chief executive, Liz Bowie, said: “Our partnership with the University continues to be the perfect example of how working collectively in our approach to education can have a positive and long-lasting impact in our local community.
“At AFCCT we utilise the power of the AFC brand to help us engage with young people, allowing us to raise their aspirations and help to close the poverty attainment gap. By working with the University of Aberdeen we can open the eyes of many children to the possibilities of higher education, aligning with the University’s overarching desire to be ‘open to all’.
“The fun and engaging workshops in local schools have been very well received by primary and secondary pupils and we look forward to seeing this partnership continue to flourish as it continues to provide real opportunities for young people in the North-east.”
Professor Pete Edwards, Vice-Principal for Regional Engagement at the University of Aberdeen, said: “Engaging with local school children and highlighting to them the benefits of higher education is obviously extremely important to us, and the region, and what better way to do this than through the prism of Aberdeen FC.
“Our partnership with AFCCT, who have such fantastic links and initiatives running with local schools and communities, has been a huge success and I am delighted that we will continue working together to the benefit of our young people.”