Project Access is excited to announced it has joined the Fair Education Alliance, a coalition of over 100 organisations working together to tackle educational inequality.
Project Access was started three years ago by a group of university students who wanted to unleash the full potential of the student community to solve the university access challenge. To do this they started a mentorship programme where currents students help prospective applicants from underrepresented backgrounds achieve a place at selective universities. The organisation is now helping 300 students per year and aims to reach a level where it can provide a comprehensive and scalable scheme that can ensure that all pupils receive the support they need to reach a university that matches their potential. In building it up they are therefore looking to build an infrastructure whereby they can help thousands of students each year, and thereby level the playing field in university admissions.
Anna Gross, a founder of the organisation, said:
Social mobility will not be easily achieved. It needs commitment from all parts of society to be realised. However, the more we are able to think systemically about the issue we are trying to solve as an organisation and do that very well, the more likely we are to get closer to a world where it can be, and where those graduating from selective universities are more representative of society at large. This, in turn, will drive change.
Sam Butters, CEO of the Fair Education Alliance, said:
We are delighted to have Project Access join the Alliance. Our most recent state of the nation report showed that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are nearly ten times less likely to go to a top university. In a world where a degree is a requirement for a huge range of jobs, poorer children are put at a huge disadvantage for the rest of their lives. Project Access' initiatives level the playing field to help ensure that those children have the support they need and have the same opportunities in life as their wealthier peers. These are the sorts of programmes that we want to see extended all across the country.
If you are interested in learning more about Project Access’s journey, or have input or advice for them along the way, please reach out to anna.gross@projectaccess.org.