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Work Experience Studying and Revising Qualifications and skills Career Planning E Guidance Aimhigher College and sixth form Apprenticeships, jobs and training Money University Transport Gap year and time out Aimhigher What is Aimhigher?, What’s the message for me?, Is university really for me?, How can Connexions help? For loads about university go to the government's official site at www.direct.gov.uk/uni For a South West Aimhigher site go to www.gr8choice.org What is Aimhigher? Aimhigher is the government’s way of encouraging young people to aim higher with their career, college and university plans. By “university” we mean all university-level courses. This means:   Full-time courses at universities throughout Britain (there are around a hundred universities)   Full-time courses at university colleges and other colleges through Britain (there are hundreds of these colleges)   Part-time courses done in your own time or as part of your job. This could include courses at universities and colleges close to home (and home study courses through the Open University) What’s the message for me? The Aimhigher message is that, by studying to university-level, you can open up all sorts of career and lifestyle opportunities. And – if you don’t see yourself as being cut out for this – don’t be put off. University isn’t just for a small number of people. More and more young people are studying at higher levels these days so it’s not an unusual thing to do! Is university really for me? You might not see university as being for you. You could be right about this or mistaken. What’s happening is that many young people are now seriously thinking about university for the first time in their lives. This includes people who have:   been worried about the whole idea of university   always had the ability to do well without realising it   previously thought university isn’t for them   not known anything about university because they’d not known anyone who had been   been put off the idea because of what other people wrongly said or told them All sorts of people have started to think about the idea. This includes people from particular backgrounds, places and schools who are sometimes less likely to attend university than others. Also more young people with disabilities - who are often wrongly discouraged - are looking at university. For positive tips and advice about this go to www.skill.org.uk. How can Connexions help? Connexions PAs can help you plan ahead to university (and beyond). If you’re aged between 13 and 19 – and you’re in school, college, work or doing something else – we’ll encourage you to look at the options. It’s never too early to start thinking and planning! If you’re already keen on the idea of university – but need more advice and information – we can help. Connexions can also help if you’re worried about the whole thing, need encouragement or are simply baffled by all the different courses, places and jargon. And it’s worth asking at school or college – or through your Connexions PA – to see if there are any university taster days, visits, activities, summer schools or open days coming up. If you are a Connexions PA, a teacher, tutor or a professional working with young people you can discover more about Aimhigher in the South West at www.aimhigher.ac.uk/southwest Return to top of page Make text larger Make text smaller Text Only Display Disclaimer