West Suffolk College Lecturing & Business Networking Event
17th June 2026
I had the pleasure of attending the West Suffolk College Lecturing & Business Networking event on 11 June. It was a very enjoyable and insightful day. I was tempted to try out the VR headsets in the University and Professional Development Centre, but knowing me, I would probably have ended up with an injury!
Apprenticeship Roles in Accountancy
We started the day by meeting groups of students from West Suffolk College, who took turns visiting the Employer stands to discuss their current courses and learn about applying for Apprenticeship roles in Accountancy. It was great to engage with the students and hear their views on Apprenticeships versus University. To my surprise, most of the students now favour the apprenticeship route, which was fantastic to hear.
At Whitings we are strong advocates of Apprenticeships, as they allow individuals to gain valuable work experience while completing their professional qualifications. We also discussed the use of technology within the sector and how AI is becoming an increasingly useful tool. However, we agreed that it could never replace the role of an accountant.
Following this we attended the Lecturer presentations where programme leaders explained the different modules and content covered on their courses. As someone who followed the A Level route, I found it particularly interesting to learn how much AAT content is incorporated into the West Suffolk College courses.
The Tutors highlighted the importance of Employers attending events like these, as well as providing talks and activity days throughout the year. Introducing Employers into the learning environment helps bring the course content to life, and the Tutors have noticed an improvement in students’ final grades where there has been Employer involvement. Students are also required to complete work experience as part of their studies, and it is great that we are able to offer these opportunities at Whitings.
Overall, it was a very useful and rewarding day, and I look forward to attending again next year.
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Disclaimer - All information in this post was correct at time of writing.
