Southern Universities Network

The Southern Universities Network (SUN) is a collaborative partnership comprising HE providers in Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight. The SUN provides outreach activities for schools and colleges as part of Uni Connect – an Office for Students (OfS)-funded project. The SUN has been tasked with increasing HE participation in over 70 wards, working with 104 schools and all further education (FE) colleges in the region. As directed in OfS guidance, work will be focused on young people in Years 9 – 13 and their ‘key influencers’. The Uni Connect Programme was launched in January 2020 – a national initiative helping teachers and careers advisers to encourage young people to take advantage of the opportunities in Higher Education. The programme will see 29 hubs established across the partnership areas in the UK. This free, government-funded service will work with state-funded secondary schools, academies and colleges across the 29 Uni Connect hubs, working with almost 300 universities and colleges as well as local authorities, charities and enterprise partnerships. Uni Connect supports the Gatsby benchmarks through a tailored and impartial approach, aiding schools to support students, their parents and carers to get a better understanding of their future options.