Roadshow returns to boost young futures
Thousands of students are set to climb on board the Aimhigher Roadshow as it launches a tour of NI schools and colleges next week (Monday 25 September)
Aimhigher is a joint initiative between Ulster Bank, the Department for Employment and Learning and the Department of Education that highlights the benefits of higher education.
Since its launch three years ago, over 48,000 students from backgroundswith no strong tradition of going to university have benefited from the Aimhigher Roadshow.
Mike Bamber, Chief Executive of Ulster Bank Retail Markets, says:
"Ulster Bank has committed to funding Aimhigher for a fourth year, as we want to ensure every young person in Northern Ireland, particularly those with no tradition of going on to further education, has the chance to fulfill their potential.
"As an organisation we are very proud to be associated with such an inspirational initiative."
Over 18,000 pupils who boarded the Roadshow between September 2005 to June 2006 took part in a survey showing a 67 per cent positive shift in their attitudes towards higher education after experiencing an Aimhigher session.
The Roadshow takes place on board a state-of-the-art interactive trailer and is presented by recent University of Ulster graduate, Clare McDonald.
Ulster Bank will also be providing a student financial adviser, Stewart Forrest, to talk to further education students about the recent changes in university fees and discuss the financial help available through grants, student loans and bursaries.
The Roadshow will visit eighteen further education colleges across Northern Ireland and hundreds of schools before its tour ends in June 2007.
For further information contact:
Eimear Fitzpatrick on 028 90 517256 or eimear.fitzpatrick@geronimocommunications.com
Notes to Editors:
1. Aimhigher Northern Ireland was launched in Northern Ireland on 22 September 2003 and builds on the success of the Aimhigher campaign launched in England in January 2002 and Aimhigher Wales launched in March 2003. Aimhigher Scotland was launched in October 2004.
2. For more details on Aimhigher Northern Ireland, go to www.delni.gov.uk/aimhigher 
or www.aimhigher.ac.uk
3. The Aimhigher roadshow visits schools and FE colleges, taking the Aimhigher message directly to young people. Since its launch the roadshow has reachedover 48,000young people, face-to-face. The Aimhigher trailer opens up to become a high-tech, mini-cinema, in which pupils are given a 30-minute ‘experience’ designed to promote the benefits and dispel the myths about higher education.
4. Ulster Bank Group has provided in excess of £800,000 in financial support for the Aimhigher Roadshow since its launch in 2003, as part of its community investment programme. In 2005, The Royal Bank of Scotland Group, which includes Ulster Bank Group, spent £56.2 million making a difference in the communities it serves. As well as the Department for Employment and Learning and Department of Education in Northern Ireland, Ulster Bank Group has joined forces with a number of organisations to make a real impact on education and social and financial inclusion.