Background

• Widening participation into post-school education is a key Scottish Government policy
• The Scottish Funding Council distributes more than 1.6 billion to Colleges and Universities for research and other government priorities.
• The North Forum is funded by the Scottish Funding Council to develop a strategy to increase the number of people in the North of Scotland from under-represented groups who participate in HE, and to implement this strategy with a defined work programme.
• ASPIRENorth is the North Forum's major schools outreach project, promoting progression to post-school education in the North of Scotland.
• It contributes to the North Forum's mission by working in partnership to increase the number of young people from under-represented groups in the North of Scotland who progress onto post-school education.

The overarching aim of ASPIRENorth is to facilitate young people in making more positive and better informed decisions about their post-school eductional choices.