Aimhigher is a national programme which aims to widen participation in higher education (HE) by raising the aspirations and developing the abilities of young people from under-represented groups.
The Government has set a target that by the year 2010, 50 per cent of those aged between 18 and 30 should have the opportunity to benefit from higher education.
The role of Aimhigher is to:
- Raise aspirations and motivation to enter HE among young people in schools, further education and workplace learning, who are from under-represented groups
- Raise the attainment of potential HE students, who are from under-represented groups, so that they gain the academic or vocational qualifications and learning skills that will enable them to enter HE
- Strengthen progression routes into HE via vocational courses, including Modern Apprenticeships, whether they are delivered in schools, colleges or the workplace
- Raise students' aspirations to attend HE and to apply to the institution and/or course best able to match their abilities
- Improve the attainment, aspirations, motivation and self-esteem of gifted and talented young people aged 14-19; and the quality of identification, provision and support for those students in schools and colleges.
Jointly funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), the Aimhigher programme operates across nine regional partnerships and 45 area partnerships throughout England.
Aimhigher encompasses a wide range of activities to engage and motivate students and young people aged 13-30 from all walks of life, who have the potential to enter higher education but are underachieving, undecided or lacking in confidence. The programme particularly focuses on young people from disadvantaged social and economic backgrounds, ethnic minority communities and the disabled.
Most Aimhigher activities take place at a regional and area level, which allows them to be tailored to the needs of specific communities. As a result the range of Aimhigher activities is extremely broad, however the types of activities listed below are common to many areas.
- Offering information, advice and guidance to potential HE students and their teachers and families so that learners are well advised about their future
- Organising summer schools, taster days, master classes and mentoring schemes to raise the aspirations and attainment of young people with the potential to enter HE
- Working with employers and training providers to progress students onto vocational routes to HE
- Working to encourage those already in the workplace to become full-time, part-time or distance learning students
Activities at a regional and area level are supported by national Aimhigher activity, including a roadshow for schools and colleges, the Aimhigher portal website (www.aimhigher.ac.uk) and a range of information booklets about HE aimed at practitioners, stakeholders and the target cohort.
National projects
The national Aimhigher programme began on 1 August 2004 as a result of the integration of two previously existing programmes - Excellence Challenge and Aimhigher: Partnerships for Progression.
The Aimhigher funding was allocated to national projects (9 in the first instance) which were either activities that cut across all regions and would operate more effectively at a national level, or were examples of innovative practice which it would be beneficial to roll out nationally.
To date 16 projects have been funded and details of each project's achievements and activities to date, along with relevant resources and information on how area partnerships can get involved, can be seen on the aimhigher practitioner website at www.aimhigher.ac.uk/practitioner/ . An Action on Access adviser works with co-ordinators for each of the national projects to provide guidance on how best the projects can be integrated with local work and to facilitate contact with each of the Area Steering Groups.
The funding stream for the Aimhigher national projects programme has come to an end. However, individual projects have been looking to secure ongoing funding from 2007, and information on this can be found on the project pages of the Aimhigher practitioner website.
