EVERY STUDENT MATTERS
Nicole Peel
August 2014
Overview
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What is Widening Participation
Background to Widening Participation
Demographics of Australia
Why children in care
UWS
Funding
WP – examples of success
Monitoring/reviewing project
management/targeting/evaluation
What is Widening Participation?
• Widening participation programs aim to maintain the
increase in LSES students gaining places in higher
education by enhancing their aspirations, self-awareness
and confidence so that they can successfully study at
university and gain all the advantages and opportunities
that tertiary education offers to them, their family, their
community and their country.
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Testimonial – Fast Forward: Principal, Punchbowl Boys High School
“There has been a clear concentration of focus toward tertiary education with
increased rates of school attendance, assessment task completion, homework centre
attendance… and this cohort positively impacted upon their peers.”
Background to WP
• ‘Global competitiveness’ - World Economic Forum
– need to encourage larger number of students from low
socio-economic (LSES) backgrounds into higher education.
• Federal government response - Higher Education
Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP)
• Government focus on the LSES group is based on
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individual and community social justice and
economic prosperity.
Widening participation is an essential and
integral part of the mission of the University of
Western Sydney.
Demographics
– Only 15% of higher education students are from LSES localities, whereas
they are 25% of the Australian population.
– 2008 Bradley Report - overall level of skills in the population ‘Australia is
losing ground’ which results in a ‘great competitive disadvantage unless
immediate action is [to be] taken’.
– Government target of 40% of 25 to 34 year old people having at least a
bachelor-level qualification by 2020 and;
– 20% of higher education enrolments should be students from LSES
backgrounds
– All age unemployment in Australia is 5.2%, but unemployment for 15–19
year olds is 17.3% and for 15–24 year olds ‘available and willing’ to work,
unemployment is 26%.
– The number of students commencing higher education increased
4% in 2012; in addition, of those the number who were from a LSES
background increased by 9.1% compared with 2011.
Why Kids in Care
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WHY NOT!!
Underrepresented in HE
Disadvantage
Overrepresented in detention centres
Transitioning when others are studying
UWS only University working with children
in care
UWS Overview
– UWS have campuses throughout Greater
Western Sydney – Bankstown, Nirimba
(Blacktown), Campbelltown, Hawkesbury,
Lithgow, Parramatta, Penrith and Westmead.
• UWS College Nirimba, Westmead,
Bankstown, Lithgow
• Diploma Courses then UWS
Funding
• Two sources of Federal Government funding
for widening participation programs in UWS:
– Higher Education Participation and Partnerships
Program (HEPPP)
– Bridges to Higher Education (Bridges) programs
– 2013 UWS received $2.3m in funding.
• Widening participation in two categories:
– Access
– Retention
HEPPP 2014 Projects
ACCESS
RETENTION
STEPS@UWS
Transition Success @UWS
Fast Forward Expansion
PASS scale up
Student Ambassadors
Additional Emergency Grants
Indigenous Engagement Expansion
SSS Initiatives
Your Tutor
MATES@UWS
PATHE
Jobs on Campus
KiC
My Course Planning
The Smith Family
Academy Expansion
WP Ambassadors
EMU
Rural Project
Summer Program Boys
School Holiday Program
Bridges 2014 Projects
Collaboration with five universities:
UWS; USYD; UTS; MCQ; ACU.
First Foot Forward
Pathways to dreaming
Enhancement of Heartbeat
Fair Go
Koori Bridges
HSC Tutorial Scheme
Pango YT
AFL
Books in Schools
Pathways VET Sector
Your Tutor ISSMP
Your Tutor Fast Forward
Theatre in Schools
WP examples of success
• Fast Forward – progression to HE
– 2013, 103 student offers from UWS
to Fast Forward students
– Over 90% of the commencing Fast Forward students
came from schools in LSES areas.
– Retention: 2012 82.3% of students stayed with their
studies compared with the sector average of 80%.
– UWS have campuses throughout Greater Western
Sydney – Bankstown, Nirimba (Blacktown),
Campbelltown, Hawkesbury, Lithgow, Parramatta,
Penrith and Westmead.
Kids in Care (KiC)
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Target Group
Higher Education taster days
Carers sessions
Scholarships
Events
KiC Club
Cake Club
Care Coordinator
Project Methodology
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Targeting policy
Project reports
Project reviews
Evaluations