EtonX

Well ahead of the game in recognising that ‘soft skills’ are imperative to success in the 21st century, EtonX offers an excellent programme of virtual summer courses for ambitious 14- to 20-year-olds. The aim of these online courses is to bridge the gap between academic accomplishment and real-world practical skills.

Developed by Eton College as a means to share the Eton learning ethos with as many pupils as possible, EtonX offers one- and two-week courses open to all. These carefully designed courses are built to prepare pupils for the rigours of university and work life beyond.

With the constantly changing landscape of university and employability, EtonX provides additional leadership skills, communication skills, resilience, and more that allow young people to flourish.

The virtual nature of EtonX courses means pupils can build their interpersonal skills with others from across the globe.

With pupils from over 70 countries joining EtonX, there is a real-life diversity in the classroom. Half of those enrolled are based overseas, and more than 50 per cent are female. Students from China, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Middle East make up most of the numbers, but there are European pupils too. Despite the online format, students have many opportunities to collaborate and exchange ideas. The global mix is a real draw: ‘Even though it’s online, it’s still an international experience,’ we’re told.

EtonX has a wide variety of courses, each designed to help pupils achieve three different goals: becoming a leader, getting into university, and starting a career. The six modules in the Future Skills course last two hours a day over a two-week period.

Unlike traditional school learning, EtonX students are offered a much more independent educational experience – which, in turn, teaches them to take responsibility over their learning and prepares them for later work life. Students are expected to do some self-study, supported with live, engaging, tutor-led workshops in groups of no more than eight.

This is where Eton really shines – the tutoring system, which encourages critical thinking, cultivates confidence, and excels at getting the best out of pupils, has been hundreds of years in the making. ‘Our tutors are very talented at getting the students to interact, to prompt discussion - all useful skills for university.’

EtonX told us they ‘wanted to take all the things, outside the curriculum, which make up an Eton education and distil them into courses that are accessible to pupils everywhere.’ In the spirit of this approach, the company shares all the self-study modules, plus teacher resources, with state schools, and offers them free to educational charities that assist students with university ambitions.

Lesson topics cover a broad range of subjects including problem-solving, entrepreneurship and research skills. Students are shown how to write more expressively and persuasively, how to be an active listener, how to build resilience and how to tackle a job interview successfully. ‘We’re preparing students for jobs that don’t even exist yet: these are skills that will be needed beyond university,’ EtonX says.

Older pupils on the cusp of higher education would be well served by the University Preparation course, aimed primarily at UK students. Teachers are drawn from top admissions departments or are recent graduates who are thoroughly familiar with the demands of the Oxford and Cambridge application process. ‘That really goes down well with our students,’ they told us. Pupils are coached in interview skills and taught how to write the most effective personal statement. Those with their sights set on medical school are taught how to ace the BMAT (BioMedical Admissions Test), and Oxbridge aspirants are guided through the TSA (Thinking Skills Assessment) course. Budding medics and barristers now have access to online medicine, law, business, and management courses. These launchpads are designed by EtonX to take learning a bit further than what a pupil might learn at A-level and add insight into future university course choices.

EtonX also provides lessons designed to build an individual’s leadership abilities – which might include public speaking, confidence, listening ability, and more. As well as boosting students' employability, the skills gained can be used within school, university, and everyday life settings.

Leadership skills are taught by Eton teachers, experts, and other students within a number of key lessons.

Verbal communication
These lessons aim to help individuals communicate more effectively with one another and with a greater amount of confidence. Similarly, resilience lessons aim to develop an individual’s ability to accept and respond to potentially bad news to reach their full potential. Impact-making lessons teach pupils how to confidently present ideas and opinions through body language, tone of voice and persuasion. Finally, public speaking lessons provide EtonX pupils with the skills and confidence to present to larger audiences.

Start a career
The career-building focus of EtonX is best suited to those looking to pursue their career ambitions shortly after the conclusion of their studies. Learning about the job application process and how to approach the desired role forms half of these lessons, while the second half focuses more on building practical skills within a job role.

CV writing
Pupils learn the best practices to help sell themselves, their skills, and their abilities to any prospective employer. These lessons go hand-in-hand with job interview skills lessons from EtonX. These focus on teaching an understanding of how individuals should present to an employer during an interview, building confidence and responding effectively to unexpected interview scenarios.