Nov 15 2011 5:00PM
University Campus Suffolk (UCS) officially launched the Suffolk Access Champion Scheme yesterday. The scheme will provide newly enrolled UCS students with the chance to receive £5000 off their degree in exchange for facilitating group mentoring programmes in schools across Suffolk.
UCS will be offering first year students starting in 2012 the opportunity to apply for the Suffolk Access Champion Scheme upon their acceptance onto a full-time course at UCS. The Access Champions will receive a substantial fee waiver of up to £5000, in return for delivering a group mentoring programme for year 10 students in their previous high school. The group mentoring programme is aimed at raising the aspirations and attainment levels of young people across Suffolk.
The launch, which took place at the UCS Waterfront Building, was attended by students from Chantry High School and Suffolk One. UCS Provost and Chief Executive, Professor Mike Saks, welcomed the students and VIP guests to the launch which set out UCS’s on-going commitment to increasing access to higher education: “As we demonstrate in our Access Agreement, UCS is strongly committed to widening participation. This is underlined by this innovative scheme, which will help even more local young people access high quality higher education.”
Vice Principal of Suffolk One and previous Chair of the Suffolk Aim Higher Partnership Group, Jenny Milsom, added “This exciting new scheme builds on the strong foundations laid by Aim Higher Suffolk over the past seven years. It will benefit students across the county, helping to raise awareness of Higher Education in Suffolk and encouraging our young people to think carefully about the opportunities available to them.”
The launch coincided with National Student Finance Day, a national campaign headed up by Martin Lewis of MoneySavingExpert.com, aimed at ensuring people understand how the new student finance package works before they make a decision as to whether they can afford to go to university.
Throughout the day, UCS visited hundreds of students at Suffolk One, Lowestoft College, Otley College, West Suffolk College, Great Yarmouth College and Suffolk New College to explain what the changes to student finance in 2012 will mean for them.
More information can be found on the Student Finance Day page|.