UHI Moray is the new official partner of MacMoray Family Easter Festival. The Northern Scot sat down with Jacqui Taylor, head of marketing and external relations, to discuss the move.
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00:00 Jackie, congratulations, UHI Moray is the new official partner of McMurray Easter Festival.
00:06 Why did you choose to get involved with McMurray?
00:08 So I guess we chose to get involved with the McMurray Easter Festival is because we are
00:13 and have been the local community college since 1971 and now the local university as part of the University of the Highlands and Islands.
00:21 We wanted to team up with McMurray because we feel it's a really valuable and exciting weekend event for families in Moray
00:29 which is important and it's grown in popularity since it started three years ago.
00:34 Within UHI Moray we've just revised our curriculum offer and it's important that we can get the message out to our prospective students
00:45 and other key stakeholders and our employers that we're offering new courses, we're offering revised courses
00:51 which are based on what our community is looking for.
00:54 So it's an ideal opportunity for us to let people know what we're doing and we will be there the whole weekend in Easter and May.
01:03 Also we feel that being part of the festival reflects what's going to be coming, our new messaging or our new message to our prospective students in the community.
01:15 So we've decided on messaging, it's time to make an entrance, our doors are always open, apply now.
01:21 On the day, on the weekend itself, are there going to be opportunities for students and staff alike to get involved?
01:27 Okay so yeah that's a good question, it's not just about us being the official partner, it's about our students and staff gaining experience
01:34 which they can bring back into the classroom for new students and continuing students.
01:40 So we've been given the opportunity to have 20 places for students to volunteer over the weekend
01:47 and the volunteering will really be anything that's required, a lot of it is running back and forth, working backstage in the VIP areas
01:58 and just making sure that all the bands have got everything that they need.
02:02 And we have students who are doing, for example, video work, we've got students who are doing business work and some of that involves a small element of events.
02:12 So it's a great opportunity to gain some valuable practical work experience for our students and it's available to students at all levels.
02:20 So we have students at entry level who can come in and you don't have to have any qualifications right up to degree level
02:28 and that's one of the unique elements of UHI Moray in that we can take some of the progress and write up without them having to leave the area
02:37 to go to one of the more traditional universities. People can also come in and study at any stage in their life
02:44 based on their life commitments and what they can fit into other responsibilities.
02:51 For our staff, we're hoping to have a number of stands within the arena where our staff can actually showcase what they offer.
03:00 Obviously the more practical areas, it's easier for them to do that, so our hairdressing, our beauty, integrative healthcare.
03:08 Our integrative healthcare degree that we run is the only one in Scotland, so we have students from all across the country who study with us for that degree.
03:17 Our sports area is looking to see if they can do something and there'll be others as well.
03:23 So it's an opportunity for the lecturers to meet with community, to meet with existing students, to meet with prospective students,
03:30 to meet with what potentially could be industry, could be employers, and then to talk about what their experiences are
03:37 because a lot of our lecturers have got extensive industry experience which is really important when you're teaching students
03:46 because the next step for a lot of our students is into employment, so it's good that they get this opportunity to actually get real life experience.
03:54 In addition to that, is there anything else that you hope to gain?
03:58 So it's important for UHM Moray to get involved in this event as the first official partner
04:04 because we still want to be seen as integral to our local community and this event is fantastic for Moray, the Moray area.
04:12 We've attracted people from outwith Moray and families all ages, old and young, to enjoy this amazing weekend.
04:21 From the outset, McMurray has been a huge attraction and we're very proud to be the official partner of the event and we can't wait for the weekend.