With government targets of increasing participation in Higher Education towards 50% of young people, it’s vital that young people from all backgrounds understand the possibilities open to them. Aimhigher is a programme funded by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS)and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) specifically to raise awareness amongst young people from lower socio-economic groups about Higher Education.
When hired in 2001, the then Department for Education and Employment conducted extensive research into the barriers preventing young people from disadvantaged backgrounds considering Higher Education and identified the following areas:
- the ability to gain the entry requirement
- the lack of a family role model
- the perception that Higher Education is similar to school
- unrealistic expectations about achieving fame/fortune without qualifications.
It was clear that with such substantial barriers and a hard-to-reach audience, a standard media relations campaign wasn’t going to be enough.
We created the concept of the Aimhigher roadshow – a hi-tech and aspirational out-of-classroom experience in which to stimulate young minds about the benefits of Higher Education.
The roadshow takes place on board hi-tech vehicles staffed by recent graduates who motivate students with their own story and an interactive presentation.
The roadshow visits secondary schools and colleges, and enables us to meet over 60,000 young people face to face each year. It is targeted at schools and colleges with low rates of participation in HE. It is supported by a comprehensive media campaign targeted at young people, their parents and their teachers.
To date, half a million young people have been visited by the roadshow. Feedback is overwhelmingly positive, with 99% of stakeholders feeling the roadshow is a good or very good way of promoting Higher Education. Research conducted with students before and after their roadshow experience, shows a 36% positive shift in attitudes towards Higher Education.