University training day - February 2026
Inspiring, insightful and interactive training for student recruitment, widening participation, and outreach professionals who deliver talks, activities, and events for schools and colleges.
Inspiring, insightful and interactive training for student recruitment, widening participation, and outreach professionals who deliver talks, activities, and events for schools and colleges.
Tuesday 24, February 2026
9:30am to 5pm
STEAMhouse
Birmingham
£275 + VAT
Early bird price until 30 January
40 spaces available
We are pleased to share our next in-person training day with you.
These popular events are created specifically for university staff who deliver talks, activities, and events for schools and colleges. This includes staff working in student recruitment, widening participation, school liaison, and outreach roles.
You will hear from leading experts from inside and outside the sector on a diverse range of topics, all designed to help you perform in your role and inspire prospective students to see all the opportunities higher education offers.
Join us for an event designed to help you engage students and their supporters. You'll discover how to:
Your speakers will include:
This content is especially relevant for those working closely with prospective students, their supporters, teachers, careers advisers, schools, and colleges.
Networking is a key focus, so the event will feature regular breaks, with optional post-event networking drinks included too!
Watch this video from a previous training day for a taster of what to expect:
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 09:30 | Registration and refreshments |
| 09:45 | Welcome and introduction Jon Cheek, Founder and Director of UniTasterDays |
| 09:50 | Understanding the mindset of teachers to help you build better relationships with schools
Baasit Siddiqui, Director of Siddiqui Education and TV personality |
| 10:50 | Morning refreshments |
| 11:10 | How to understand, recognise, and adapt to neurodiverse needs in the classroom Georgina Durrant, National Inclusion Lead at Twinkl Educational Publishing |
| 12:45 | Lunch |
| 13:30 | Credibility and visibility: how to influence senior leaders and academics
Penny Eccles, CEO and Founder of Marketing Partnership |
| 14:30 | Afternoon refreshments |
| 14:50 | The 5 Cs of content: how to find compelling content for your outreach newsletters with limited resources |
| 15:45 | Closing remarks
Jon Cheek, Founder and Director of UniTasterDays |
| 16:00 | Networking drinks Complimentary drinks at BCU Students’ Union |
| 17:00 | Finish |
Baasit Siddiqui is an experienced educator, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and television personality. For many years, Baasit has collaborated with schools and businesses to inspire and educate young people to recognise their potential and how it will support them in the world of work. Baasit has delivered workshops, talks and competitions to thousands of children across hundreds of schools. His mission is simple, through combining his educational insights, entrepreneurial experiences, and a decade of television influence, Baasit strives to make a significant impact on young people’s understanding of education and its positive impact on career opportunities.
Baasit has combined his unique television experiences on the BAFTA winning television show Gogglebox with his knowledge, experiences, and passion for education to deliver motivational workshops, competitions, and assemblies across schools, colleges, and universities. Whether workshops focus on media, digital literacy or oracy, Baasit ensures that students within the workshops develop their understanding of career opportunities as well as the skills and attitude required within these careers.
Georgina Durrant is a former secondary teacher and SENDCO, national speaker, published author, and podcaster who champions inclusion. She shares expert insights through her books, including the award-winning SEND Strategies for the Primary Years, popular podcast SEND in the Experts, and speaking engagements. Featured in major media and awarded the Nasen Award for Positive Media Impact, Georgina is a leading voice in SEND education.
Penny is CEO and Founder of Marketing Partnership which specialises in helping institutions to grow. She is a chartered marketer and Fellow of the CIM. She is also a Non-Exec Director on the CIM Board. She is passionate about access for Widening Participation groups and has worked in Higher Education marketing and student recruitment for 25 years. She has an unhealthy obsession with stationery.
Simon has almost 20 years of experience in the higher education sector. This includes student recruitment, marketing, and events roles at four different universities in the UK: Nottingham, Birmingham, Warwick, and Coventry. Simon has also worked as a content strategy consultant for the international education sector.
Simon has a particular flair for designing engaging training sessions. Currently, he leads the training portfolio for UniTasterDays, including their quarterly training days in Birmingham, on-campus training for staff, on-campus training for ambassadors, 6-week leadership course, and 6-week manager course.
Past recipients of Simon’s training include AccessHE, LiNCHigher, Liverpool Hope University, London Higher, Queen Mary University of London, St Mary’s University, Study Higher, the University of Aberdeen, the University of Bristol, the University of Essex, the University of Salford, the University of Sunderland, and various HELOA regional groups.
Simon is an international speaker. He has spoken at a variety of conferences, including CASE, ContentEd, EFMD, IDPE, FindAUniversity, HELOA, HighEdWeb, PSEWeb, SU Digital, SU Marketing Conference, Utterly Content, and the UK Ghost Story Festival. He was Chair of the Newcomers Track at CASE Europe Annual Conference from 2020 to 2023.
As a published author, Simon is particularly interested in storytelling in the education sector. He spends his free time reading, writing, running, and finding new ways to make his children laugh.
Today reignited why I do what I do, and gave me some great ideas to use moving forward. Thank you for such an insightful training day. The venue was great, and the speakers were inspirational.
Clear concise sessions that target exactly what you need, and leave you wanting to put new strategies into action. I want to say a massive thank you to UniTasterDays for your in-depth and inspiring day!
I had a great experience attending the UniTasterDays training in Birmingham. Huge thank you to UniTasterDays for bringing together professionals from universities all over the UK, and providing the opportunity to brainstorm, engage, and inspire one another.
Our programme is designed to meet the specific needs of university practitioners working in student recruitment, outreach, and widening participation event delivery roles. Expect audience-focused sessions to help you address the challenges you may encounter in your role.
Our event allows multiple opportunities for networking. This includes morning and afternoon refreshments, lunch, and a complimentary drinks reception after the event. You will leave with a wide range of new connections across the sector.
Our training days are designed as in-person events, so the sessions won’t be recorded. It is a unique opportunity for you to gain insights from experienced and expert speakers, whilst learning alongside your peers in a delightful location.