Alice Davies Leacture

Guest lecturer:Alice Davies:Senior Member of South West Wales Reaching Wider Consortium

Widening access in Wales

          Widening access in Wales refers primarily to giving people from different backgrounds an opportunity to benefit from further education .Davidson envisions “a country where every individual is given equal opportunity to fulfil their potential, maximise their earning potential and contribute to society.” (2010) Yet many individuals from deprived families do not experience higher education. Many individuals are excluded and underrepresented in society due to their circumstances. Deprivation refers to not having the “opportunities and Resources to which we might expect have access in our society, for example, good health, protection from crime, a clean and safe environment.” (Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation, 2011, p.3)

        Higher education funding council for Wales (HEFCW) work with the Welsh Government in order to encourage progression to higher education, “HEFCW wishes to develop and sustain internationally excellent higher education in Wales, for the benefit of individuals, society and the economy, in Wales and more widely.” (HEFCW,2012)  By raising aspiration and attainment, HEFCW aim to supporting social inclusion, and  work on giving the deprived more opportunities.

Reference List

Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW)  (2012). hefcw. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from hefcw.ac.uk: http://www.hefcw.ac.uk/home/hefcw_copyright.aspx

 Welsh Government  (2010). The Learning Country- vision into action. Retrieved April 11, 2012, from Wales.gov.uk: http://wales.gov.uk/topics/educationandskills/publications/guidance/learningcountry/?lang=en

Welsh Government, (2011). Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from Wales.gov.uk: http://wales.gov.uk/docs/statistics/2011/110831wimd11summaryen.pdf