Events

Access & Admissions Forum 2024

paid

Date: 15 Nov 2024

Time: 09:30 - 16:00

Location: Prince Phillip House, 3 Carlton Terrace, London SW1Y 5DG

Organised by: Engineering Professors' Council & the Royal Academy of Engineering

The 2024 Access and Admissions Forum will be held on Friday 15th November in the plush surroundings of the Royal Academy of Engineering (on Carlton Terrace, overlooking the Mall and St James’s Park).

We will be sharing exclusive findings from an EPC engineering admissions project in partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering, using exclusive UCAS engineering datasets.

We are also delighted to welcome guest speakers John Blake, Director for Fair Access and Participation at the Office for Students (OfS), and Ben Jordan, Director of Strategy at UCAS to this interactive Access & Admissions event.

This free event is suitable for staff at all levels in engineering departments who share the responsibility for fair access and admissions, and for RAEng Fellows. RAEng Fellows registering for this event will automatically qualify for 3 months complimentary membership to the Engineering Academics Network. Please find membership terms and conditions here. Our privacy and data protection policy can be found here.

Access & Admissions Forum 2024

9:30 - 10:00am

Registration

10.00–10.30am

Welcome and keynote: Undergraduate engineering admissions: the big picture
Rhys Morgan, Strategic Projects Director, Skills and Inclusion, Royal Academy of Engineering

10:30 - 11:30am

Presentation and workshop: The truth about entry requirements
Stella Fowler, Policy and Research Director, Engineering Professors’ Council
Mike Bramhall, EPC Recruitment and Admissions Committee

11:30 - 11:45

Break & refreshments

11:45 - 12:15pm

Keynote: How UCAS supports student choice.
Guest speaker Ben Jordan, Director of Strategy, UCAS

12:15 - 13:05pm

Lunch & networking

13:05 - 14:05pm

Presentation and workshop: The truth about Physics
Stella Fowler, Policy and Research Director, Engineering Professors’ Council
Georgina Harris, EPC Recruitment and Admissions Committee

14:05 - 15:05pm

Workshop: So what? Provider scenario planning
Johnny Rich, Chief Executive Officer, Engineering Professors’ Council

15:05 - 15:20pm

Break & refreshments

15:20 - 15:50pm

Keynote: So what? How the regulator supports equality of opportunity.
Guest Speaker John Blake, Director for Fair Access and Participation. Office for Students (OfS)

15:50 - 16:00pm

Plenary, roundup and close
EPC Recruitment and Admissions Committee Chair

John BlakeDirector for Fair Access and Participation. Office for Students (OfS)

John Blake is the Director for Fair Access and Participation. He oversees the Office for Students' activity on equality of opportunity in universities and colleges, helping to ensure that all students, especially the most disadvantaged, benefit from higher education. He is also responsible for student insight, information and engagement; OfS policies on distributing £1.4bn of state funding to higher education institutions, and OfS's work on lifelong learning, including flexible and diverse pathways into and through higher education.

John took up his position at the Office for Students in January 2022. Prior to joining OfS, he was a senior leader and researcher in the schools sector, leading on public affairs and curriculum research and design for Ark, policy and strategy for Now Teach and History initial teacher education for the Harris Federation. He has also worked as Head of Education and Social Reform for the think tank, Policy Exchange, was a founder governor of Oak National Academy, and served as an advisor to the government on reforms to initial teacher training and continuing professional development.

Ben JordanDirector of Strategy, UCAS

Ben has been at UCAS for over a decade, and has been described as a ‘leading figure of HE admissions policy’, with his knowledge in this area ‘second to none’.

During his time at UCAS, Ben had led the response and engagement around every major political event that could impact on student progression, including Brexit, admissions reform, qualification reform, Brexit, Scottish independence, general elections, and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic, which involved forming part of three separate ministerial taskforces.

Outside of work, Ben is a school governor and can often be found searching for his ball on the golf course.

Prof Mike BramhallProfessor, TEDI-London

Mike is a Professor at TEDI-London and has a strong track record in project-based learning and has published widely in innovations in engineering education. He works closely with the Admissions team at TEDI and reviews applications and undertakes interviews of applicants with non-standard qualification. Mike was previously an Assistant Dean and Sheffield Hallam University, where he was involved with Admissions to numerous Engineering courses, over a 30 year period. He was a Governor at Northern College for Adult Education, Barnsley, which runs access courses for students to re-enter into further and higher education, and also chaired its Curriculum and Quality Committee. Mike is an active member of the Board of the Engineering Professors’ Council, and is also the Chair of its Recruitment and Admissions committee.

Martin EasonResearcher and EPC Recruitment and Admissions Committee

Originally from the Machine Tool Industry then into Education. Taught in six Universities in the UK and overseas with periods of supply teaching on all age ranges and educational levels in the UK. Involved with Engineering admissions in all three UK institutions and spent a period as Senior Admissions Tutor for all courses at the University of Wolverhampton.

Dr Georgina HarrisInterim Dean, Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Science, University of South Wales

Interim Dean, Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Science, University of South Wales

Underground – The nearest tube stations are:

Charing Cross (Bakerloo and Northern lines)
Piccadilly Circus (Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines)
Green Park (Jubilee, Victoria and Piccadilly lines)
Westminster (Circle, District and Jubilee lines)

Charing Cross and Piccadilly Circus are a 10-minute walk, Green Park is 15 minutes, and Westminster is 12 minutes (15 if taking a step-free route). Green Park has step-free access from ground level to the platforms and trains. More information on step-free tube stations can be found here

Mainline stations – The nearest mainline stations are:

Charing Cross – 10-minute walk. The station and platforms are all on one level. There are ramps available and there are baby-changing facilities and national radar key toilets. Accessible taxis are located near the front of the station. Step free:uses are available on The Strand outside the station.
Victoria – 20-minute walk – There is paid parking here and mobility set down and pick up points. Step-free access from the train to the Underground and ramps for train access. The toilet facilities have a height adjustable changing bench, hoist and non-slip floors as well as baby changing facilities in both the male and female toilets. There is also bicycle parking storage space. Bus number 11 goes past Charing cross station and Trafalgar square. Alight here and then it is around five minutes walk. The 38 bus from Victoria goes past Piccadilly station. There is then another 10-minute walk.

By car, taxi or bus

Car – There are several parking bays immediately opposite Prince Philip House, which include two disabled bays. Bays can also be found two minutes away at Waterloo Place, which costs around £3.30 to£4.40 per hour. We are within the congestion zone. Westminster City Council’s Trafalgar Square car park is also close by.
Taxi – Carlton House Terrace is a well-known drop-off point for taxis. For pick-ups, Piccadilly Circus is a short walk. Most black cabs are wheelchair accessible.
Bus – The buses that drop off closest to the building are the 12, 13, 15 and 453. For up-to-date information on bus services, we recommend you check the TFL site