Delivering Social Justice
The University is strongly committed to the view that Higher Education makes a fundamental contribution to social justice, through equipping individuals with the skills and attributes to succeed and prosper and narrowing the gap in opportunities. Our aim is to raise aspirations among under-represented groups through promotion of the benefits of Higher Education and training, developing support mechanisms to enable participants to succeed in their chosen fields of study.
Cardiff Met continues to have a strong track record in attracting under-represented students, with 16.3% of entrants coming from Community First areas, compared to an average of 15.6% amongst Welsh HE providers. At a school-level the University now engages with more than 2,400 school pupils every year, reaching more than 100 schools annually via our “Higher Education Roadshow”.
A further 900 school pupils are engaged in community outreach activities on an annual basis, to enhance their employability by developing their transferable skills while also gaining accreditation for their efforts.
A key project over the period has been the development of our Student Volunteering project which has seen over 300 of the University’s undergraduate students take this optional module. The purpose of the module is to encourage our students to enhance their employability by developing their transferable skills through undertaking a period of voluntary work, whilst also gaining accreditation for their efforts. The volunteering project focuses primarily on areas which are in need of increased support, both financially and otherwise, such as Community First areas and those deemed by the Welsh Government to be in areas of multi-deprivation.
Central to the progress made during the year in this area has been the work of the Centre for Personal and Professional Development (CPPD). The Centre, which was launched in October 2008, now offers a dynamic and flexible portfolio of over 150 part-time and short courses for Black Minority Ethnic groups and over 500 learners in Community First areas. It is integral to the University’s continuing success in promoting access to Higher Education. An example of the impact of CPPD during the year was the positive impact on the lives of refugees and asylum seekers in Wales achieved through the provision of free short courses in conjunction with the Welsh Refugee Council (WRC).
The University also supports the WRC Learning Drop-In Service and has created a “hub of learning” with IT facilities. Overall, the year has seen a continuation of activities designed to provide a systemic approach to the provision of exciting new learning opportunities for people of all ages, ethnic and economic backgrounds. This has enabled more people in Wales to experience Higher Education, and be equipped with higher skills levels.