The Higher Education Fair – great value for high school students
“It's a great event that has helped me a lot in deciding what to choose.”
This according to 20-year-old Rado Dacher, one of around 2,000 upper high school students from the municipality of Jönköping who visited Jönköping University's (JU) Higher Education Fair (Framtidsmässan) on Thursday.
It can be difficult for an 18 or 19-year-old to know what you want to do in the future. However, getting an idea of the educational opportunities available is easier, especially at the annual Higher Education Fair in Campus Arena. This year, there were 40 exhibitors, including 20 other universities which is a record. Folk high schools, vocational trainers, language schools, the police, the military, and emergency services also participated.
“This gives students a real smorgasbord of post-high school opportunities. We offer them the opportunity to see the breadth of different study paths and professions that are available,” says JU project manager Anders Wadell.
Interesting insight
Rado Dacher, who is studying International Baccalaureate at Per Brahe High School, is interested in becoming a service technician in the field. He wants, at least for now, to work in a practical field, but at the same time wants to ensure that he is eligible for higher education so that he can continue studying in the future.
“I am interested in studying mechanical engineering at Jönköping University in the future,” he says.
One person who is quite sure about what she wants to do is Alma Hjälmeby, who is currently studying arts at Per Brahe High School.
“I want to be a music teacher, that's what the future looks like, but it's interesting to get an insight into all the different opportunities that are available. There were schools here that I didn't know existed, so that's good.”
Become a helping force
The exhibitors also had positive things to say. Student ambassadors Erik Karlsson and Hanibal Bahta from Linnaeus University in Växjö were pleased with the interest in their booth.
“The visitors in our booth show a lot of interest, and many are curious about police education and criminology. There is a great deal of interest in socially beneficial education and professions, which is great,” they say.
Peter Lilja from TUC Higher Vocational Education agrees and says that they have also noticed that many people were eager to learn more about professions that improve society.
“They have many good ideas about becoming a helping force in society, which is great to hear,” he says, and his colleague Tomas Mörk Johannesson agrees.
See slideshow from the day:
