More disadvantage students take up Turing scheme

In the second year of the Turing scheme, 38,000 students are confirmed to take part - 52% of which will be those from disadvantaged backgrounds, up from 48% last year.

Students taking part in the scheme, which replaced the UK’s participation in the Erasmus+ scheme, will be given the chance to undertake study, school exchanges, and industry work placements in over 150 international destinations, including the USA, Japan, Canada, Thailand and South Africa.

More than 130 universities, 116 further education providers and 70 schools will be receiving a share of £105m worth of grants.

Disadvantaged students will see more opportunities, helping to drive up social mobility for regional areas. This includes the North-East of England, with 22 providers including universities, schools and colleges in this region set to receive a share of the funding.

Projects this year have included digital technology students from New Bridge College, Oldham – which specialises in supporting students with special educational needs – travelling to Chicago, USA to visit the Apple Headquarters office to inspire and support their career aspirations.

Other successful projects for next year include cultural exchanges being offered in Japan, Mauritius, South Korea and Nepal for a university with 83% of disadvantaged students within its population.