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Congratulations to Year 12 students at Westminster City School's Sixth Form, Evelyn, Tayra and Victoria, who are currently involved in the ‘Open City Accelerate Programme’. The programme consists of helping aspiring architects from the ages of 16-18 to interact with the built environment sector and develop essential skills through workshops. It also supports career growth for underrepresented groups through training, mentorship, and networking. Activities in the programme includes site and university visits and helping students to develop key skills, such as model making.

Evelyn, who is in Year 12 at Westminster City School’s Sixth Form, said that she became aware of this program through her Art teachers, Ms Tate and Ms Chance.

She continued, saying:

“I joined this program because I'm interested in gaining the skills and experience needed for a career in architecture as well as investigating sites/buildings that may not be so obvious to us, the public.

“Additionally, I hope to meet new people that share the same interests as me, as well as meeting professionals in the field to get a better understanding of what it is like to be an architect in the future.

“My aspiration for the future is to become an architect in either landscape architecture or interior design, as well as being part of a team that can communicate a positive sense of place to the public whilst maintaining an interesting and engaging environment for them.”

Tayra, who is also involved in the programme, said:

“My aspirations and plans are to study a five-year BSc and MSci architecture course at UCL or Cambridge, where I would then join a known and respected firm. To succeed and reach my goal, I signed up to the ‘Open City Accelerate Programme’ as I am very keen to explore architecture on a deeper scale and see if it is the suitable career path for me.

“As a result of this programme, I expect to have gained an increasing amount of experience in architecture, having known the basic knowledge and a better understanding of each sector, whilst simultaneously growing my network.”

Victoria, also added:

“The reason I decided to join the programme is due to my interest in architecture and the importance of having the right support to help me gain further understanding about this field.

“After completing my A-Levels at Westminster City School’s Sixth Form, my plan is to study architecture, and my main goal is to become an interior architect or an interior designer. Therefore, participating in the ‘Open City Accelerate Programme’ allows me to have an advantage and get closer to my goal.”

The programme was established by Open City, a charity which has dedicated the last 30 years to making London’s architecture more open, accessible and equitable.