Alumni Association
The Open University in Wales is working with Cardiff and Vale College (CAVC) and Gower College Swansea (GCS) on two innovative pilot projects aimed at providing young Welsh students with more opportunities to succeed.
We aim to transform the life chances of students across the country and with your ongoing support, we can ensure that more young people don’t miss out on life-changing learning.
Through the pilots, the colleges identified areas which often prevent students from completing an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, such as financial hardship, disability and mental health issues, along with other socio-economic factors. These students that don’t progress are particularly vulnerable to becoming ‘Not in Education, Employment or Training’ (NEET).
Through the pilots, groups of HND, Foundation and Honours degree students are being invited to either study their ‘top up’ Honours degrees at levels 4 and 5 or to progress to level 7 Masters pathways with the OU. They also receive monthly intervention workshops and support to help them progress on their learning journeys and ultimately, to improve their life chances through the transformative power of education.
By working with students at this crucial stage, we hope to reduce the numbers of students becoming NEET and provide students with the opportunity to shape their futures forever.
How your support can make a difference
For many students participating in the pilot scheme, they are already facing several barriers on their education journey, including financial hardship. To support students transitioning to OU study, a bursary of £250 will be offered to assist with study costs and ease the financial burden.
Through your support, we can reach out to more students and provide bursaries and opportunities which could make all the difference to their futures. If you’re able to support, and to make a difference to young students in Wales, please donate today.
Click here to support this project