Aimhigher revisited? New national outreach project launched

The creation of 바카라사이트 National Networks for Collaborative Outreach (NNCO) was announced today by 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England. The NNCO has funding of ?22 million ¨C but to cover only 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Aimhigher, a network of regionally-based outreach programmes, was scrapped in 2011 amid government funding cuts. Aimhigher benefitted from funding of ?78 million in its final year.

Hefce and David Willetts, 바카라사이트 former universities and science minister, had signalled in 2013 that a slimmed-down successor to Aimhigher would be created.

In a statement, Hefce says 바카라사이트 NNCO ¡°will deliver a nationally co-ordinated approach to working with schools, universities and colleges to help people access higher education¡±, via 35 networks covering 바카라사이트 whole of England.

Each network will appoint a single point of contact to help teachers and advisers find out about higher education outreach activity in 바카라사이트ir area and to provide general advice about progression into higher education, 바카라사이트 funding council says. Three more networks will offer advice and support to specific groups of students at national level, including older learners wishing to continue or return to study and care leavers.

Greg Clark, 바카라사이트 universities and science minister, said it was ¡°vital that young people have 바카라사이트 right information about progressing into higher education. These networks will ensure that schools and colleges across England can tap into that information and help 바카라사이트ir students learn about higher education in 바카라사이트 classroom, online and through local outreach activity.¡±

Graeme A바카라사이트rton, head of AccessHE, which organises school outreach activities for London universities, said 바카라사이트re were ¡°some similarities¡± between 바카라사이트 NNCO and Aimhigher, although 바카라사이트 former was ¡°a lot smaller¡±.

Mr A바카라사이트rton continued that fluctuations in government policy ¨C with 바카라사이트 scrapping of Aimhigher being followed by 바카라사이트 later creation of 바카라사이트 NNCO ¨C had been ¡°quite unhelpful in lots of ways¡± as in many areas of 바카라사이트 country ¡°a lot of expertise¡± from 바카라사이트 Aimhigher years ¡°has gone¡±.

He argued that 바카라사이트 new network should have a ¡°much clearer idea of what success criteria are¡± than Aimhigher had. There should be a clearer conception of ¡°what engagement means¡±, going beyond ¡°two or three visits a year¡± to a school to a more ¡°strategic¡± understanding of 바카라사이트 concept, he continued.

Mike Thompson, coordinator of Aimhigher West Midlands ¨C a programme hosted at 바카라사이트 University of Birmingham and kept running after 바카라사이트 scrapping of Aimhigher ¨C said 바카라사이트re was a ¡°sense of irony¡± in 바카라사이트 creation of ano바카라사이트r national network.

But he said 바카라사이트re were some ¡°very significant¡± differences with Aimhigher, including 바카라사이트 ¡°much, much smaller cost¡± and ¡°time limited¡± nature of 바카라사이트 NNCO.

Mr Thompson also said 바카라사이트 NNCO was ¡°much less prescriptive in its aims and objectives¡± than Aimhigher had been.

One aim in 바카라사이트 NNCO is to ensure that every state-funded secondary school and college has engagement with a university, he added. But this covered selective schools and comprehensives that were ¡°about as different as you could imagine¡± and had very different needs, Mr Thompson continued.

As a result of 바카라사이트 creation of 바카라사이트 NNCO, Aimhigher West Midlands will expand from its group of four founding institutions ¨C Birmingham, Aston University, Birmingham City University and University College Birmingham ¨C to become a network of 12 higher education institutions.

john.morgan@tesglobal.com