Make Happen
Funded by Uni Connect, based at the University of Essex
Make Happen is a project funded by Uni Connect, based at the University of Essex. They are working on an Opportunity Action Plan in partnership with the Social Mobility Pledge, focusing on boosting opportunity and social mobility across the UK.
Make Happen partners with Rt Hon Justine Greening to play its role in the COVID-19 national recovery
A new partnership has launched involving former Education Secretary Justine Greening and the Essex-wide Uni Connect programme, Make Happen, which will create an Essex-wide Action Plan to protect opportunities for young people and boost social mobility.
The Action Plan will hopefully act as a model for other areas looking to breakthrough barriers facing young people when considering further study, training and career options.
The partnership comes as concerns continue to grow over the long-term effects of the COVID-19 crisis on social mobility, with more than 80% of people saying they're worried that there will be fewer job opportunities this year.*
Make Happens’ in-depth experience of breaking through barriers to higher and further education in low participation areas will help develop a new Opportunity Action Plan which can be rolled out through partners at a county level and highlight best practice to be used nationally.
Make Happen is the Essex branch of the regional Uni Connect programme, funded by the Office for Students, and based at the University of Essex. The collaborative outreach project brings together universities, colleges, and local partners, to deliver schools’ outreach programmes to young people in years 9 to 13.
Operating since 2017, Make Happen has engaged with 75,647 young people in years 9-13. Make Happen’s work is focused on areas where higher education participation is lower than might be expected, given the GCSE results of the young people who live there. The programme works collaboratively to unlock opportunities for young people across Essex by helping them make informed choices about their education and future.
The new partnership between Make Happen and Justine Greening will include the development of an Opportunity Action Plan to ‘level-up’ Britain in the wake of the COVID-19 global pandemic. The action plan will highlight how collaborative working between Higher Education, Further Education, local authorises and business can support social mobility and the opportunities young people have in the future.
This Opportunity Action Plan will share Make Happen’s work through its partner organisations and in their local communities, and will set out how it plans to play an important role in Britain’s national recovery from COVID-19, amid warnings of a rise in youth unemployment as well as promoting progression to higher education for young people in low progression areas.
Rotherham-born Ms Greening is herself a beneficiary of social mobility, becoming the first Secretary of State for Education to have attended a comprehensive school and local further education college.
She co-founded the national Social Mobility Pledge in 2018 alongside UK entrepreneur and social mobility philanthropist David Harrison. The Pledge works with organisations across the country to tackle Britain’s widespread lack of social mobility. By signing the Pledge, businesses and universities commit to enhancing opportunities by working with local schools, offering training and apprenticeships, and by adopting fair recruitment policies.
More than 500 organisations representing more than 7 million people have signed the Social Mobility Pledge. This includes more than 50 universities with more than 2 million students represented.
Justine Greening said: “Many young people are seeing their life prospects drastically downgraded, with jobs, and job offers, disappearing. Meanwhile, massive demand for reskilling and career shifting support is building up.
“Well-defined purpose, together with a strong culture and leadership, have marked out those organisations which have taken the right decisions in response to the crisis, from those which have not.
“The challenge now, and one that Make Happen and its partners have stepped up to, is for Britain’s businesses and universities to play their role in boosting opportunity and social mobility as part of our national recovery.
“I’m looking forward to working with Make Happen on this new Opportunity Action Plan. The programme is committed to making a difference, and in levelling-up Britain. I hope many others will follow its example."
Stephen Pomfret, Head of Collaborative Outreach for Make Happen, said: ““We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Justine Greening and her team to develop this new Opportunity Action Plan. It will provide a platform for us to continue working collaboratively across Essex, while continuing our work to support those students from areas of low progression onto higher education.”