AccessHE Uni Connect launch event in Havering

December 1, 2017

On 14 November, we kicked off our Uni Connect delivery schedule for the 2017/18 academic year with a big launch event at Havering College of Further and Higher Education.

We invited learners and their parents/carers from our six Uni Connect partner schools in Barking & Dagenham and Havering to hear from us about what’s involved in our Uni Connect project. The AccessHE London Uni Connect gives young people from target wards in both boroughs the opportunity to take part in exciting activities which offer them the experiences and skills necessary to make informed choices about their futures.

The event ran over two sessions. The first session saw learners take part in a carousel of three higher education taster workshops run by three of our member HEIs – Royal Veterinary College, St Mary’s University, Twickenham and The University of Law – covering themes ranging from opportunities in law and veterinary medicine to the wide variety of universities and courses on offer in the UK.

The second session welcomed the arrival of parents/carers who met with their children to listen to a short presentation from us on the aims of the AccessHE London Uni Connect project and how they can be involved and encourage their child’s participation in the programme. We also invited representatives from the Student Loans Company and The Challenge up on stage who debunked some of the myths of student finance and spoke about how the National Citizen Service initiative can impact positively on higher education applications respectively. It was also great to hear from two alumni from one of our partner schools who spoke passionately about their own very different journeys into higher education and the different options that were available to them.

As if the programme wasn’t packed enough, we rounded off the evening by hosting a mini higher education fair. We were joined for this by several more of our member HEIs who invited learners, their parents/carers and teachers from our partner schools to visit their tables to discuss the different offers available and answer any queries arising from the evening or that our guests had about higher education more generally.

We were delighted to have been able to engage with many of the learners in our Uni Connect partner schools during this event and enthused by the number of parents/carers who also turned out on the day. We hope that they left having talked with HE staff and current students about HE, with a better idea of the different types of higher level learning options on offer, as well as the aims of the AccessHE London Uni Connect and how they, as participants, can contribute to its success.

We now begin our work with the learners in their schools with the implementation of our programme of activity delivery.

We would like to thank Havering College of Further and Higher Education for hosting the event as well as all the people who attended and supported the event, who are listed below.

Presenters

  • London School of Economics and Political Science
  • Ravensbourne
  • Royal Veterinary College
  • St Mary’s University, Twickenham
  • Student Loans Company
  • University for the Creative Arts
  • University of East London
  • The Challenge
  • The University of Law

Schools

  • All Saints Catholic School
  • Bower Park Academy
  • Drapers’ Academy
  • Emerson Park Academy
  • Marshalls Park Academy
  • The Sydney Russell School