Enhancing advice and guidance for applicants. Our focus moving forward will be to continue to enhance our relationships with local and target school and colleges, and continue to extend our information provision to vulnerable groups such as mature students and young carers. In addition, we will continue to work closely with our regional contact at Student Finance England to share information, best practice and event opportunities, and we will continue to meet annually for training and financial updates. For 2016/17 we are planning to deliver newly developed financial workshop for both pre- and post-16 pupils in schools and colleges. The purpose of the sessions will be to address many of the concerns held by these students which have been identified as a result of feedback from staff working directly with schools and research into these pupil groups13. The concerns highlighted relate to the true cost of University and how graduate salaries impact on loan repayments. Specific issues will be tackled including; explaining how student loans work, how they are different to other debts and how costs can be reduced whilst studying.
Enhancing advice and guidance for applicants. We plan to further enhance and develop our relationships with local and target schools and colleges, expanding our points of contact within institutions already engaging, and also working with new providers to expand the level of finance specific outreach support offered. We have introduced an email campaign into our communications with schools and colleges, sending information and offers to provide support and deliver events throughout the academic year, which has increased engagement and uptake of activities. In addition, we continue to work closely with our regional contact at Student Finance England to share information, best practice and event opportunities, and we will continue to meet annually for training and financial updates. For 2017/18 we will continue to explore ways of developing our portfolio of presentations and workshops to ensure we are meeting the needs and concerns of both advisers and applicants, taking particular care to address concerns attributed to the cuts to NHS course funding and the Disabled Students Allowance. We will also continue to improve our use of digital and interactive technology within our delivery, where possible. We will continue to focus our messages in a positive light, explaining that there is no upfront cost associated to University, that repayments are income contingent, and identifying the differences in student loans to commercial lending, in effort to dispel misinformation or fears associated to the cost of higher education. Furthermore we will focus efforts on addressing the cost of living for students, implementing effective financial capability skills among students, in an attempt to reduce the number of students experiencing financial difficulty.
