With online safety becoming an increasingly relevant issue that affects our students daily, MK College hosted a two-day event to engage students in conversations about how to best identify scams and increase media literacy.

The Safety Awareness Days took place around the Safer Internet Day on 10^th February. MK College welcomed Thames Valley Police and Milton Keynes City Council’s Community Safety Team, who ran interactive stands to speak to students about how to protect themselves and others from scams and other risks they may face online.

Taking place on Chaffron Way campus on Wednesday 4^th February and at the South Central Institute of Technology (SCIoT) in Bletchley on Monday 9^th February, students had the opportunity to discuss their experiences and concerns with local experts. The BBC filmed the event at Chaffron Way as part of their piece that was broadcast on BBC Politics East the following Sunday, spreading word of local efforts to increase awareness of online safety.

Faith, an Access to HE Healthcare Professions student who attended the Safety Day, said: “The safety awareness event was genuinely insightful. I learnt a lot from speaking to the Milton Keynes police officers and Cyber Security team members, and it opened my eyes to how easily personal information can be misused online and how to protect myself.

“Internet safety is particularly relevant to me as a student because so much of my learning and daily life happen digitally.”

Elle, a Futures Academy student who attended the event, said: “The Internet Safety event was very insightful and eye-opening. The event gave me an opportunity to speak with Trading Standards about the prevalence of scams and how to deal with them. I was also able to speak to MK Council about how safe I feel as a young woman in my local area, and what can be done to make it safer not just for me, but for all.”

The Community Safety Team from Milton Keynes City Council said: “These sessions help MK College students learn how to stay safe online in a simple, hands‑on way. We talk with them directly, give easy advice, and show them how to spot risks. This helps students feel more confident and safer when using the internet.”

Amy Langford, Group Director for Inclusion at MK College group, said: “Online safety is a critical issue for us at the College and we work hard to support our students to make positive choices and act responsibly online. Where formal teaching of these concepts is important and impactful, events that allow our students to interact with specialist services adds another dimension to this and makes the challenges of online safety more “real.”

“As a College we welcome opportunities to engage our students in real world learning and to develop their understanding of the role they play in keeping themselves and others safe online.”

For more information about the support we provide to learners, visit Student Information – MK College