Which Way Now To Widen Participation: Lifelong Learning, Economy and Society

FACE is delighted to announce that Southampton Solent University will be the hosts for our 2010 annual conference. The conference dates will be 30th June to the  2nd July 2010. The key themes of the conference are the future of the widening participation agenda across the education sectors and recognising best practice in lifelong learning during rapid social and economic change.
There has been real progress in terms of widening participation over the last five years in the face of considerable and entrenched barriers relating to social background and location, most notably, as the latest research shows, for young participation from disadvantaged neighbourhoods. This is good news. The economic downturn and projected reductions in expenditure for higher education provide distinct challenges, of course, in sustaining and extending progress in this agenda.
However, the lessons learned in recent years, the networks across the sector for sharing good practice and the embedding of much of what was originally labelled as widening participation as mainstream should give us cause for satisfaction, even optimism.
This conference provides an excellent opportunity for us to see how far we have come, how much we have learned and how well we can work together to ensure that those with the ability to study in higher education are given the best chance of doing so.
Please go to the Online Registration Page to book your place. Abstracts of 300 words for papers and posters should be submitted by Friday 28th May 2010.