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UCL/City & Islington partnership celebration

17 November 2010

All staff are warmly invited to attend a celebration of the UCL/City & Islington partnership on 22 November.

Widening participation activity

UCL Vice-Provost Professor Michael Worton (Academic & International) is holding a drinks reception to celebrate the university's long-standing partnership with City & Islington College (CANDI).

City & Islington is a further education college which includes a highly successful sixth form, a lifelong learning centre and a number of specialist colleges (including applied sciences). UCL has been working with CANDI for over ten years to encourage students to progress to university and to enrich the curriculum. The partnership is now one
of UCL's most important strategic widening participation initiatives.

The partnership's wide range of activities include:

  • lectures and masterclasses given at the college by UCL academics;
  • tutoring and mentoring activities by UCL students;
  • access to UCL resources and facilities for college students, including reference access to the UCL library;
  • UCL awards for achievement to college students;
  • reciprocal representation on the governing bodies of each institution;
  • continuing professional development for college staff, including opportunities for
  • research;
  • policy advice around issues relating to transition from further to higher education;
  • admissions; curriculum development and widening participation.

Professor Worton said: "We are always keen to publicly thank those of you who are already closely involved with City & Islington - and to encourage anyone who is not yet familiar with the partnership to come and learn more. The reception is a chance to meet with colleagues from City & Islington College informally to discuss potential outreach and curriculum collaborations and, this year, to learn more about a new qualification which has been introduced in the UK: the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ).

"The EPQ is a qualification equivalent to an AS-level, which gives students the opportunity to devise and complete a research project on a topic of their choice, working independently and acquiring the skills that will prepare them for study at university. This year, UCL introduced a prize for students from City & Islington College to reward outstanding work on the EPQ, with three extremely talented young students sharing the prize. We will be celebrating their achievements at the reception, and showing two short films which these students produced as part of their EPQ portfolios.

"This year, staff from Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Mount Carmel, Islington Arts & Media and Holloway will also be in attendance, so this is a real opportunity to forge links with schools in Islington."

The event will be held on Monday 22 November at 5.30pm in the Engineering Front Building Foyer.

Please confirm your attendance to Clare Goudy.