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The new academic year is off to a busy start at Uni Connect!

Our Kick Start Creative and Kick Start Sports programmes have officially launched at NCC Epping, Barnet Southgate, and West Thames colleges. Students are completing their first questionnaires this week, and we’ll be delivering a parent/carer webinar in early October to introduce the project. Our university partners—University of West London, Middlesex, UEL, St Mary’s University Twickenham and Greenwich—are also preparing in-college workshops taking place throughout October and November for selected BTEC Sports and Creative students, designed to highlight university study options and the career pathways these subjects can lead to.

We are getting closer to our Access Fortnight which is running again this year from 13 – 24 October. This is aimed at current Access to HE Diploma learners and pre-Access learners and includes a webinar, in-person sessions at college campuses, personal statement feedback, an extensive set of printable resources which can be downloaded from our Linking London partner area and updated webpages for Access learners: 

• HE Student Finance lunchtime webinar with Ben Rutter from Student Finance England on Wednesday 15 October 1 – 2 pm, aimed specifically at Access learners. Ben will cover what support is available, how to get it, when and how to repay it, budgeting, key messages, signposting to useful websites, and will then open up the floor for a Q&A session. and if you can’t attend we will also send the recording to those who have registered.Ìý
• Subject specific group talks delivered in colleges and personal statement feedback from university partner colleagues 
• Top ten tips for Access Learners 
• HE checklist for Access to HE Diploma Learners 
• HE Entry Requirements Report 2026-27 
• new subject guide for humanities and social sciences 
• advisor guide for HE admissions staff 
• Overview and Making Meaningful Offers guide 
• Guide for Staff in Colleges and Universities on Supporting Access to HE Diploma Learners with their Next Steps  
• subject posters (Nursing, Art and Design, Business, Education, Social Sciences 
• the pages on the OCN London website have been updated with all the current information relevant for Access Learners 

We’re also relaunching our webinar series in collaboration with London Uni Connect partnerships. The first session, Personal Branding and Employability delivered by My Great First Job takes place on Wednesday 15 October at 6pm.Ìý