Uni Connect Programme

(asked on 3rd March 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the provision of (a) careers guidance, (b) mental health support and and (c) preparation for transition to further and higher education in those schools supported by the UniConnects programme, and what assessment he has made of the effect of the change in the level of funding for that programme in 2021-22 on that provision.


Answered by
Michelle Donelan Portrait
Michelle Donelan
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
This question was answered on 8th March 2021

The Uni Connect programme, operated by the Office for Students (OfS), is a 4-year investment programme. It was established to support the creation of a strong and versatile network of local partnerships with cross-England coverage. It aims to provide sustained outreach to young people in schools and colleges in areas with low or unexplained gaps in higher education (HE) participation.

The programme is due to come to an end in July 2021, which presents the opportunity to consider its scope and objectives, including funding other areas of increasing importance for students and prospective students.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, wrote to the OfS on 19 January, providing guidance under section 2(3) of the Higher Education and Research Act 2017 (HERA). This set out the funding allocation for the 2021/22 financial year and the government’s priorities to ensure that more of taxpayers’ money is spent on supporting HE provision which aligns with national priorities, including targeting funds to support students and prioritise the most disadvantaged learners.

On 8 February the Secretary of State set out the strategic priorities to higher education. In this the OfS were asked to allocate £15 million towards student mental health in 2021/22 through the proposed reforms to the Strategic Priorities Grant funding, to help address the challenges posed by the transition to university, given the increasing demand for mental health services. This will target those students in greatest need of such services, including vulnerable groups and hard to reach students.

The OfS were asked to allocate £5 million to providers in order to provide additional support for student hardship in 2021/22. This is to mitigate the rise in student hardship due to pandemic impacts on the labour market which particularly affect, for example, students relying on work to fund their studies, students whose parents have lost income and students who are parents and whose partner's income has been affected.

The OfS plan to consult on the proposed changes to the Strategic Priorities Grant shortly, before final allocations for the 2021/22 academic year are confirmed, whilst carefully considering the impact of any changes on providers. Any decisions will be made in light of the allocations within the available Strategic Priorities Grant, whilst having due regard to general duties, the Public Sector Equality Duty and statutory guidance.

The OfS have consulted on the approach to the next phase of the Uni Connect programme from the 2021/22 academic year to the 2024/25 academic year, and will report on the outcomes shortly. That consultation outlined the proposal to continue to support efficient and joined-up collaborative HE outreach through the programme, intended to support activity that complements providers’ access and participation plans, create pathways to FE and HE, help address the academic, financial and cultural barriers to progression and support under-represented learners to achieve their ambitions. Proposals set out a future approach to targeting high-priority schools and colleges and giving greater focus to progression from non-traditional routes into and through HE, including through FE and among mature learners.

We are investing over £100 million in financial year 2020/21 to help young people and adults to get high quality careers provision, including funding for the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) to roll out its Enterprise Adviser Network and expand its role supporting schools and colleges across the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks, and for the National Careers Service to deliver high quality, impartial information, advice and guidance service to young people and adults. We will continue to assess the impact of careers provision in schools and colleges through CEC’s digital tool, Compass, which measures progress against the Gatsby Benchmarks.

The OfS will consider the impact of any changes on providers before publishing a response towards the end of March 2021. The government welcomes the consultation on the future of the programme, before final allocations are confirmed. Any funding beyond 2021/22 financial year will be determined at the next Spending Review.

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