Western Sydney University celebrates 20th anniversary of Fast Forward program
Fast Forward Academic Excellence Scholarship recipient, Patrick Kamlade.
Western Sydney University’s Fast Forward program celebrates 20 years of raising local high school students’ aspirations for the future and helping them secure their dream career paths.
The Fast Forward program encourages Western Sydney high school students and their families to see tertiary study as a realistic and viable post-school option, helping to unlock the potential in every student.
Launching in 2004 with four Western Sydney schools, the Fast Forward program now partners with 90 local high schools and is working with over 6,400 students in Year 9 to Year 12 in 2024.
Since its inception, the Fast Forward program has inspired nearly 20,000 high school students across Western Sydney, raising awareness and aspirations for higher education.
With more than 3,000 of these students enrolling at Western Sydney University, the program has set many on a path toward continued learning and further educational opportunities.
Professor Alphia Possamai-Inesedy, Pro Vice-Chancellor Student Success, said that the authenticity and success of the Fast Forward program has always been in providing students with the relevant information that they need to make well-informed decisions at the end of high school.
“The Fast Forward program is a key aspirational enrichment program that aims to increase the awareness of tertiary education as a viable post-high school option for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds in Western Sydney,” said Professor Possamai-Inesedy.
“Over the last 20 years, Fast Forward has transformed thousands of lives by guiding local students strategically through their senior years of high school and empowering them to achieve their goals.”
Western Sydney University PhD student, Patrick Kamlade, first became involved with the Fast Forward program when he was in Year 9 at Cranebrook High School and continued with the program until the end of Year 12.
Patrick says the program initially allowed him to explore future career options for himself in Years 9 and 10, which led him to deciding on a career in engineering and learning which school subjects he would need to study in Years 11 and 12 to get into an engineering course at university.
As a highly passionate and talented Year 12 HSC student, Patrick was awarded a Fast Forward Academic Excellence Scholarship to enrol into the Bachelor of Engineering Advanced (Honours) (Mechanical) at Western, where he graduated in 2022.
He is now studying a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Western and is working part time gaining valuable industry experience with engineering firm, Knorr-Bremse.
“The Fast Forward program was a wonderful experience for me that helped me achieve my best results throughout school and university. I was seamlessly transitioned from high school to university through its many in-school workshops and on-campus events,” said Patrick.
“Upon my first day at university, it felt like I had already been at Western Sydney University for many years thanks to the Fast Forward program. Western has a great range of facilities and programs for engineering such as the Solar Car Team which I joined during my bachelor’s degree.”
In addition to preparing for his future career aspirations, Patrick says the program also prepared him for university life, with events run by staff and current Western students allowing him to ask questions and gain valuable insight into student life on-campus and build new connections.
“The events and tools that Fast Forward provides to students opens up unlimited opportunities for students across Western Sydney, empowering them to pursue future tertiary studies and providing the guidance to achieve any career they desire.”
Jim Micsko, Senior Manager of Engagement Programs, Future Student Engagement, said that the program is an investment in the future of students and the Western Sydney region.
“We know that around two thirds of all student participants we work with in the program receive an offer to study from at least one of more than 30 higher education institutions right across the country,” said Jim.
“Our research shows that since 2012, on average, 50 per cent of Fast Forward participants who receive an offer to study at Western do enrol here. The program continues to be a positive and lasting impact upon students in our region.”
The Fast Forward program’s 20th anniversary was celebrated at a special event on Friday 8 November at Western’s Bankstown City campus featuring student panellists and speeches from Fast Forward Academic Excellence Scholarship recipients.
For more information on the Fast Forward program, visit the website here.
ENDS
12 November 2024
Photo credit: Sally Tsoutas
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