Meet Tom Payne, a Student Ambassador at Greater Brighton Metropolitan College
This month we’re talking with Tom Payne, a Student Ambassador at Greater Brighton Metropolitan College (GB Met) about the work he does with students already at college and in schools across the Sussex region…
Tell us about your role Tom and how it came about?
I’m studying for a PGCE in Music at GB Met and was approached about being a Student Ambassador. My role is hard to describe because it is so varied, but essentially I see myself as an ambassador for learning in FE and HE education.
I’m here to encourage and support existing GB Met students so that they get the very most out of their experience with us. And I’m here to reach out to school students across the Sussex area to bring to life all the great opportunities that further education can open up.
Could you explain a bit about how you work with school students?
So many school students feel quite daunted by the idea of further education. We work with those young people to give them opportunities to experience student and college life, to ease their transition and to open their eyes to the wide range of progression pathways available to them.
What kind of events do you organise for school students?
All sorts! We hold regular ‘Student Life’ talks at GB Met so students can find out everything they want to know about further and higher education, what is involved in both, the opportunities they open up and how to finance university life.
We also hold practical workshop events at the college so students can experience our facilities first hand and get a feel for college life. Last winter we held a week-long art workshop with Creative Waves that students from schools across Sussex really enjoyed.
Why is reaching out to school students so important?
It’s such an important part of our work because some young people can really sell themselves short. So many don’t believe they’re going to be up to handling the college experience. These events help them see that they not only belong, but can really thrive in a college environment.
What has been your favourite recent event?
Without a doubt it has to be S’kool Fest – our annual music festival for talented local musicians. This year was the first time we’d been able to hold the event since 2019 because of the pandemic, so it was even more special. The festival is open to all schools across Sussex and selected students get to perform to around 400 people at Worthing Pavilion so it’s a really unique opportunity.
Seeing so many talented young people in one room and seeing how alive they were coming off stage was very special. Each of the bands and performers also got to record their tracks in our GB Met studios so they could see and use the industry-level set up students have access to at the college.
What do you find most challenging about your role?
You quickly realise that you have to be adaptable. We’ve offered one-to-one mentoring for some students that hasn’t been taken up and that can be disheartening when you know they could benefit. But you can’t force uptake. You just have to think of different ways to connect with them and support them.
What is the most rewarding part of your role?
I love how much fun we all have as a team and with the students. A huge part of our role is to help young people see that learning can be rewarding but also really enjoyable. Seeing that penny drop and seeing young people who had dismissed themselves as ‘not cut out for learning’, suddenly embrace it as an option again is amazing.
I also love the energy young people bring to what they do. It’s great seeing our students making albums in their free time that I can listen to on Spotify or setting up podcasts that get a real following. Being around that energy is inspiring and I know will spur me on in my new teaching role. You want to do the best for your students because they’re putting so much of themselves into the whole experience.
To find out more about life at GB Met and about the events they run go to: https://www.gbmc.ac.uk/ or
https://www.gbmc.ac.uk/about-the-met/news-events/open-events