UCL Engineering Mentoring Programme
QUICK: programme-initiative
UCL Engineering Mentoring Programme
Country:
United Kingdom
Education level:
Lower secondary education, Secondary Education, Vocational Education and Training (VET)
Year start:
2015
Status:
Ongoing
Short summary:
The UCL Engineering Mentoring programme, supports young people (aged 14-19) years old, providing high quality tutoring, mental health support, a safe and quiet space to learn; books and digital equipment; healthy meals; and a personal mentor. The programme supports 1000-1500 young people every year.
Description and objectives:
The UCL Engineering Mentoring programme, supports 1000-1500 young people every year, aged 14-19 years old, providing high quality tutoring, mental health support, a safe and quiet space to learn; books and digital equipment; healthy meals; and a personal mentor.
The objectives of the UCL Engineering Tutoring Programme are:
- To bridge the education attainment gap for those most affected in terms of their access to educational opportunities.
- To build resilience and self-confidence in young people. Enable, encourage and empower them. Increase their motivation and sense of achievement.
- To support the most vulnerable children and young people, those in under-represented communities and from disadvantaged backgrounds.
- To remove all barriers linked to digital poverty including lack of access to internet connection, devices, tools and more.
Access to tutoring is often limited to schools and parents that can most afford it. It is estimated that around 80% of disadvantaged pupils do not have access to quality tuition (Source: EEF).
In partnership with the government’s National Tutoring Programme (NTP) with EEF, Sutton Trust, Impetus Trust and Teach First, UCL offers secondary school pupils from under-served communities, free daily tutoring and mentoring sessions, throughout the school year. In March 2020, in response to the COVID19 pandemic, it was offered also as an online programme, and is now being offered as a hybrid model (both online and face-2-face).
The programme is linked to the government’s National Tutoring Programme (NTP) with EEF, Sutton Trust, Impetus Trust and Teach First and STEM Learning’s mentoring programme.
Reach:
The UCL Engineering Mentoring programme, supports 1000-1500 young people every year, providing high quality tutoring, mental health support, a safe and quiet space to learn; books and digital equipment; healthy meals; and a personal mentor.
Impact:
UCL's evaluation strategy goes beyond the “reaction” level, using mixed methodology including pre and post activity responses; impact observed by teachers; evaluation tasks and external evaluator observations. UCL obtains evidence of impact at: initial reaction; changes in participants knowledge and skills over 3-6 months (medium impact) or 6-9 months (high impact). Impact evaluation process maps were created to support the evaluation process.
Budget and funding model:
Funders include: 1. Foundations and charities; 2. Education organisations; 3. UCL Engineering faculty outreach budget.
Each year a proposal is sent through to the funder and they approve a set amount of funding for the year or longer period, depending on the proposal and agreement. In recent years, the mentoring programme has been supported through co-financing as the programme has grown and more funders are supporting the programme.
Continued funding depends on shared strategic objectives, the programme’s outcomes and the feedback on impact from the schools, community partners.
June 27, 2022
Meet the Future You is a tool co-created by UCL Engineering, EngineeringUK, Royal Academy of Engineering, ICE, IET, iMechE and the IOP. By answering a few short questions, students...
March 22, 2021
Dr Elpida Makrygianni MBE, who leads UCL Engineering's Tutoring Programme, shares in the blog below the achievements of the programme, and how it is contributing to reducing the attainment...