The Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP) was established by the Federal government in 2010 in Australia to improve access to higher education for students from disadvantages backgrounds across the country. The intentions were noble, and since that time universities have created and delivered projects that, among other things, tackle student retention, access issues, have enabled outreach programs for students in remote regions, provided scholarships and bursaries, and analysed a treasure trove of data that have illuminated patterns and anomalies in barriers to tertiary education.
Funds are distributed based on low SES enrolments. In 2016, for example, the University of Western Sydney received $11.5million whereas ANU received less than $400,000.
Research to date shows that HEPPP activities work; enrolments by students from low SES backgrounds increased by 50.2% between 2008 and 2015. Although this increase could also be attributed in part to uncapped university places that was introduced at the same time as HEPPP, specific independent research has shown an increase in aspiration and applications to universities thanks to HEPPP projects.
UNE’s HEPPP funded projects are a great example of the diverse approach to removing barriers to lifelong learning. Projects are run out of academic Schools and professional Directorates and, together, aim to overturn a recurring theme for underrepresented groups in higher education – that university is not for people like them. Then, once enrolled in university, UNE projects support disadvantaged students in many ways.
Below are details of a small selection of current HEPPP-funded projects that may just make you think differently about the care and authenticity with which UNE advocates for, and enables lifelong learning.
The Kruki Program – Kruki is the Anaiwan word for medicine man. The Kruki Indigenous Summer School is run by the School of Rural Medicine and Pharmacy and is now in its 4th year. The week long camp aims to give Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander secondary students insight into studying medicine at UNE in Armidale. Our aim is to build confidence and motivation and to demystify the study of medicine. Twenty students this year participated in activities and workshops that provided them with an immersive experience as a first year medical student studying at UNE.
Schools & University Connect – through a partnership between the School of Health and School of Education, the Social Work in Schools project places social workers in high schools around the region to support students struggling to maintain their motivation and progress at school. Pre-service teacher mentoring is another part of this project, as well as school visits and teacher professional development, particularly for staff in low SES schools. The successful Future of Work event in Tamworth was also part of this project in 2018.
reSTART – managed through the Office for the Pro Vice Chancellor of Academic Innovation, this project is designed to identify students who are discontinuing their studies (in real time) and ensure low SES students do not leave UNE without an intervention prior to departure. The aim is to increase the number of students who chose an Exit Pathway (completion) where appropriate or recommence their studies at a future date.
UNE GRASS – the Growing Regional Agricultural Students in Science (GRASS) program is in its 10th year. The program offers an Agricultural Industry Placement Scholarship to high achieving students in Year 12, and a 2-day program of teacher professional development in science and agriculture. In 2018, 55 students from northern NSW attended a 2 day camp at UNE, and 16 from the camp were offered a fully funded Industry Placement Scholarship. These students spend a week embedded in an industry learning the ropes. More than 90 teachers from across NSW will attend the teacher professional development program on the 29th and 30th of November.
UNE Discovery Voyager – You might have seen the new Voyager truck driving around the Ring Road! It takes an 11-strong Voyager team around northern NSW, where over the past two years they have visited over 12,000 students from Kindergarten to Year 10 across northern NSW and facilitated hands-on, play based activities in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Maths (STEAM). It is the start of the journey for young regional children to aspire to lifelong learning, cultivating curiosity, creativity, confidence, collaboration and a can-do attitude, all 21st Century characteristics essential to remove barriers to higher education.
Agmentation – UNE SMART Region Incubator, together with Cisco Technical have held two Agmentations to date. They are sprint and pitch grassroots problem solving events held over two days, bringing together primary producers, technical engineers, UNE researchers, industry stakeholders, university students and regional high school students to form teams and work towards solutions. In 2018 to address the 2018 Mission Statement: “Weighing In – Measuring Productivity in Non-Traditional Ways”, and you can see some of the highlights for 2018 here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgJUDBWCyMU.