What was it that made you want to work for ThinkHigher?

I’ve loved everything about ThinkHigher since I first joined in 2017! It was brand new team back then, and a chance to bring all sorts of experiences of working with young people together; opening doors and providing new opportunities to teenagers in a way that would make them think differently about their future pathways. This was really exciting. ThinkHigher puts young people and partnerships at the heart of everything it does. By understanding the lived experiences and barriers faced by young people in the region, we can support them in innovative and creative ways that respond really specifically to the local needs of students and their families in schools, colleges and the local community.

What has been the highlight of your role so far?

 This has got to be the team. It’s really exciting to work with colleagues who are so passionate and motivated about the work we do; their experiences and perspectives make the team really interesting and their ideas are infectious. We are only limited by our imagination! I love my job; I love going to work alongside such incredible professionals every day. They have developed projects that include a weekly Student Lounge in Nuneaton, school staff CPD to improve the experiences of Black students in schools across Coventry and Warwickshire, an established Rainbow community to foster a sense of belonging, an impartial Careers Roadshow touring several schools across the region, and a rolling three year programme specifically for children in Local Authority Care to name but a few. 

What has been the most challenging part so far/what challenges do you expect to face?

Pandemic aside - which was a challenge for all of us – it would be the future of ThinkHigher and making it more sustainable. We are a partnership, much like a spider’s web connecting and crisscrossing all the expertise and offers from the region, which positions us really well when it comes to working with schools and colleges in an impartial and non-competitive way. This means we can put the needs and ambitions of our young people at the centre of our decisions and be led by them. The ThinkHigher consortium includes University of Warwick, Coventry University, North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College, Warwickshire College Group, Warwickshire and Coventry Councils, including both Virtual Schools, and the Careers and Enterprise Company. We connect, with varying intensity, with almost every school in Coventry and Warwickshire. However, many organisations are feeling the pinch of funding reductions or facing challenges with longer term forecasting and planning. So, my biggest upcoming challenge is how we can strengthen and develop new partnerships to ensure best value for money and truly affect change in the region over the next five years

What are you most looking forward to in your new role?

The biggest project within ThinkHigher is Uni Connect, funded by the Office for Students. From 2023-24, we will be delivering our attainment raising activity with students in years 7-11. This academic year we are consulting with schools and students to see how we can develop and test some pilot projects to better understand what works in pre-16 attainment raising. This is brilliant opportunity to apply our experience, embrace existing relationships with schools and look at our approach through a fresh lens to see how and where we can make the most impact in partnership with other teams and organisations.

How would you like departments across the university to get involved?

If any of my earlier answers in this interview resonate with you or you have an interest in any of the work ThinkHigher does, please get in touch! I would welcome the chance to catch up with any staff or students who might like to know more about what ThinkHigher does, or have experience that ThinkHigher could learn from, or might even like to raise a teacup to new ideas and projects in collaboration.

If you'd like to find out more, visit the ThinkHigher webpageLink opens in a new window. If you have questions, or would like to be involved, you can contact Claire at claire.d.anderson@warwick.ac.uk or the team at info@thinkhigher.ac.ukLink opens in a new window.