About Aimhigher
The Aimhigher Peninsula Partnership is made up of a wide range of organisations throughout the South West – including schools, colleges, higher education institutions, community groups, government offices, local education authorities, training providers, Connexions and employers.
What we want to achieve
The Partnership’s main aim is to ‘turn the tide’ by widening participation into higher education. We believe that, by expanding an individual’s horizons - whatever their personal background - we can help them achieve fairer access to opportunities. This will not only lead to an improved sense of self worth but, on a wider scale, will bring about local, regional and national economic benefits.
Our history
The Aimhigher Peninsula Programme was launched in April 2003 and builds on the successful collaborative work of the smaller Peninsula Project (1999-2003). Our work has been funded for three years by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the Learning and Skills Council. From 2006 all of our funding has come from HEFCE. Our funding period now runs from 2008- 2011.
Our objectives
Whilst committed to increasing participation, this programme focuses primarily on widening participation. In other words, Aimhigher is about targeting the people who have no higher education tradition in their families and who are therefore not as likely to consider it an option.
To achieve the aim of making higher level study a real possibility for these groups and individuals, we have the following objectives:
• To raise levels of awareness
• To raise aspirations
• To contribute to raising levels of achievement
• To reach key influencers
• To build on existing links and routes into higher education
Our vision
Widening participation in higher education demands years of investment, not ‘quick fixes’. As a partnership, we believe that longterm commitment to communities is the key to effecting real change. Our activities are carefully targeted – often to relatively small numbers of people – because we believe that quality is far more important than quantity. We want to empower individuals and, to do that, we know we have to reach them on a personal level, to understand their wants and needs.
Aimhigher is all about developing aspiration and achieving real equality of opportunity. Through collaboration, innovation and determination, we are committed to meeting that challenge.
The strands
The programme is now divided into 8 main strands – with one overriding management strand to hold the jigsaw together. Please select one of the strand links on the main menu above to find out more about each strand.