About Aimhigher Associates

In April 2008 the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, John Denham, announced funding of £21 million over three years for a new support scheme entitled ‘Aimhigher Associates’.

The Aimhigher Associates scheme aims to promote the progression of learners from state schools to the full range of HE provision on offer. Aimhigher Associates are university students that have been recruited by Aimhigher to provide school and college pupils between Year 9 and Year 13 with long-term help and support. Over three years the scheme will fund around 5,500 university students to support over 21,000 school and college pupils.

The scheme is a new national strand of Aimhigher and one of a number of targeted activities that Aimhigher partnerships use to raise awareness, aspirations and attainment amongst young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

Aimhigher partnerships will work with their partner higher education institutions to recruit the Associates. As far as possible, the Associates will come from similar backgrounds to the pupils they support, in order for them to understand the barriers that they may face.

Aimhigher aims to benefit young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who traditionally experience lower progression to higher education. Aimhigher partnerships work closely with their partner schools and colleges to identify pupils that have the potential to progress to higher education but are under-achieving, undecided or lacking in confidence.

The Aimhigher Associates scheme is unique because, for the first time, long-term support is being offered to school and college pupils. The relationship between Associate and pupil will develop over time with Associates on hand to provide support and guidance as pupils progress through their educational journey, explore the full range of higher education options open to them, and make important decisions about their future.