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Parents and guardians of University students

Loughborough supports new campaign to encourage parents and young people to consider Higher Education

A new campaign has recently been launched to support the parents and carers of young people who are less likely to continue in education past the age of 18.

The project aims to debunk common myths and answer questions surrounding Higher Education, using real quotes and voices from parents and carers. The campaign is being delivered by Pathways, a collaborative partnership funded by the Office for Students as part of the UniConnect Programme. 

Nationally only 18% of all graduates are the first in their family to complete a higher education course and Pathways hopes to change this.  

Mark Clayton, 60, is father to two sons who have now completed their university studies and is a parent ambassador for the campaign. He said: “I was extremely lucky because I worked for a time at a university before my two sons started in Higher Education, so knew how student finance worked. However, many parents don’t and it can be scary. 

“That is one of the reasons I wanted to become a parent ambassador to break down the myths and make sure all parents know exactly how student finance works so they can help their children make decisions based on fact. 

“Another big worry for us as parents was whether our sons would make friends and fit in with others. Trust me, that worry is soon replaced by whether they have enough time with all their socialising to do the work needed to get a degree!” 

Loughborough joins the University of Leicester (who lead the partnership), De Montfort University, Leicester College and Loughborough College to form the Pathways partnership. More information about the pathways project is available here.  

Loughborough University’s School and College Liaison Team offer a range of support for parents and guardians and are also hosting a live virtual event in Spring 2022. Further information can be found here.    

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