Student Finance Tour is extended

The Student Finance campaign is reaching thousands more sixth formers with vital information on university grants, as the government extends its highly-successful tour.

Event Marketing Services (EMS) has been working with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) to deliver the initiative, informing sixth form students about the upcoming university fee reforms from September 2012 and the support available to help them participate in higher education.

So far, the tour has visited approximately 1900 schools and colleges, and has reached more than 150,000 students and parents in an ambitious schedule of visits. Due to end in early January, the tour has now been extended to February 3, to allow more schools and colleges to take part.

The BIS campaign followed a rigorous recruitment and three-day training programme to brief and prepare 39 recent graduates as student finance presenters to visit schools and colleges. Each visit sees the presenter delivering an informative talk as well as a Q&A and one to one session. Students, parents and teachers complete a survey before and after each presentation to enable BIS to fully evaluate knowledge and perception shifts. To date, 95% of the students have said they understand more about the new financial support available since receiving the presentation.

Managing the campaign is EMS’ experienced education team, which has a proven track- record of highly successful roadshows for BIS’ Aimhigher education campaign. They are backed by a full-time EMS student finance team whose key focus over five months has been to manage the database and logistically-complex schedule of the 39 presenters as they tour the country.

EMS client services director Justin Isles said: “We are delighted to work with BIS into February to hopefully reach 25,000 more sixth formers at a vital time in the run up to student finance applications.  This two-week extension will allow us to visit more than 250 schools and reach upwards of 190,000 visitors – far exceeding our ambitious target, in what has been a hugely successful, high-profile campaign. It’s further proof of EMS’ ability to manage logistically-demanding, high calibre roadshows that ensure key personnel are in the right place at the right time – every time – to deliver our clients’ campaigns.”

Universities and Science minister David Willetts said: “No one should be put off applying to university because they don’t have the information about the new student finance system. Students need to know that most new undergraduates will not pay upfront costs, there will be more financial support for those from low-income families and everyone will make lower monthly loan repayments than they do now once they are in well paid work.”