From international Clearing to the Council of Deans of Health’s Student Leadership Programme

A Coventry University student who joined through Clearing in 2019 has been chosen from hundreds of applicants to join a prestigious national leadership programme.

Elton Yu, a second-year Dietetics BSc student, from Hong Kong, has been selected to join the Council of Deans of Health’s Student Leadership Programme .

The Programme is run by the Council of Deans of Health with co-funding supplied by the Burdett Trust for Nursing and Health Education England .

The aim of the Programme is to develop and promote student leadership and Elton will be matched with a leadership mentor and supported in a research project of his choice.

Elton is keen to build on his work placement in Public Health by building a global career in that field.

He said: “I joined Coventry University because I felt the course was catered to help me pursue my goal of researching across the world and building a global career in Public Health.

“I’m looking forward to the coaching scheme part of the Programme, I will be paired with an individual who is an inspired leader, thinker, creator and front runner in their healthcare discipline, and I look forward to learning from them.”

Lisa Bayliss-Pratt, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Faculty of Health and Life Science (HLS), spoke of her pride.

She said: “We want our students to go on and become the next generation of healthcare leaders.

“That is why we design our HLS courses to give them the tools and opportunities to build leadership skills.

“I am passionate about providing a leadership pathway for our students and early-career health professionals. That is why we took on the leadership of the Nursing Now Challenge, a movement designed to support the leadership development of the global health workforce.

“I am delighted that Elton has been selected for this prestigious Programme and hope his selection is the first of many.”

Elton joined the university through Clearing and offers his advice to any international student who is thinking of studying in the UK in September.

He said: “I advise students who go through Clearing to make sure they pick up the phone and use the helpline. The team are super helpful and will talk you through applying for a course that you are interested in. They helped ease my anxiety and were really supportive.

“You should make sure you read through the course module details, including the course guide that interested you the most. I found that helped with the strength of my personal statement and application, to secure a spot at Coventry.”