Contact
Biography
I am based in the Division of Student Recruitment within External Relations. My role is responsible for making a significant contribution to the effective implementation of the University's student recruitment and widening participation strategies and targets within the Access and Participation Plan. I am responsible for managing, developing and evaluating a programme of events and activities, aimed at encouraging students from underrepresented backgrounds to progress to, and succeed within, higher education and specifically the University of Nottingham. I particularly focus on recruiting UG mature and care experienced students to the university and supporting their transition once here. I work collaboratively with other teams within Student Recruitment, External Relations, Student Services. I support, advise and train Admissions Tutors in their understanding of alternative qualifications (such as BTEC and Access) which WP students often enter the university with. I am responsible for outreach that takes place within FE Colleges and run the Ambition Access programme.
Previous to working at the university I was a teacher of English in a local FE College.
Expertise Summary
My current role focuses n managing, developing and evaluating a programme of events and activities aimed at encouraging students from underrepresented backgrounds (such as care experienced, refugees and asylum seekers, young carers as well as mature students) to progress to, and succeed within, higher education. I monitor performance against our APP targets and KPIs and report on progress. I manage the planning, organisation and delivery of events and activities to support the university in achieving its recruitment, success and widening participation targets and aims within the APP.
I support the Heads of Student Recruitment in implementing the UK student recruitment and widening participation strategies by attending regular planning and review meetings and promoting a strategic approach to recruitment.
I have proven planning and project management skills, including the ability to take a research-informed approach and to monitor and evaluate. I do this by monitoring and evaluating KickStart and other activities that I run. I always make changes after feedback if needed. In the past I have run a number of Academic Taster Days for prospective students and have run them slightly differently each year based on evaluation and feedback from the previous year.
I am able to work effectively under pressure to manage multiple tight deadlines and competing priorities and manage projects successfully. August and September are particularly busy for me as I am planning and organising the 2 KickStart programmes (academics, accommodation, bookings, catering, sessions, recruiting and training ambassadors as well as communicating to prospective attendees etc.), setting up the Mature Mentor Scheme (recruiting and the mature mentors, matching mentors to mentees) delivering outreach sessions to FE college groups, communications about the coffee and cake arrangements and liaising with the SU programme for welcome week and dealing with any other issues or managing my team members that crop up.