INFORMATION, ADVICE & GUIDANCE
PARTNER SEMINARS
22 SEPTEMBER – 6 OCTOBER 2011
The Student Loans Company (SLC) is looking forward to welcoming you to Manchester, London and Birmingham for the Annual Information, Advice and Guidance Partner Seminar
programme, hosted this year by our Director of Marketing and Communications, Jenifer Stirton.
Academic year 2012/13 represents the single biggest change to student funding in a generation and it is essential during this time of change that students receive good quality,
consistent IAG. These seminars will showcase all of the new resources we are introducing for 2012/13 to help you in your work with students.
We have put together an excellent plenary program, giving you an opportunity to hear all of the latest news from BIS, OfFA and, of course, our own executive team.
You will also have the opportunity to attend up to three workshops throughout the day. These are being run by a range of senior staff from SLC plus some guest speakers from our
delivery partners. The workshop programme is outlined within this brochure to help you choose your preferred workshop topics upon registration.
There will be plenty of opportunities for networking throughout the day.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
These seminars are aimed at anyone who works with young people or adults considering entry into Higher Education, including:
Heads of Sixth Form FE College Advisors Higher Education Outreach Teams
Level 3 School Tutors Independent Career Advisors Next Step advisors
Connexions Staff
PLENARY TOPICS
Welcome & Introduction
Jenifer Stirton; Director of Marketing and Communications, SLC
Jenifer will chair the seminar, give an introduction to the day and outline our IAG strategy and the support our Student Finance Consultants will provide to partners.
Presentation by BIS
Guest Speaker; Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Higher Education funding for future students.
University Access Agreements
Guest Speaker; Office for Fair Access
Hear how OfFA evaluate, agree and monitor university access agreements
Student Finance England
Derek Ross; Director of Operations, SLC
Find out about all the latest service enhancements and business developments
WORKSHOP TOPICS
IAG campaign for AY 2012/13 Students with dependants and independent UCAS – Preparing yourself for 2012
Practitioners’ resources for AY 2012/13 students Higher Education – A disabled student’s
Online IAG support for practitioners Student Finance England operational experience
Online student experience processing
COST
This seminar programme is free of charge.
HOW THE PROGRAMME WORKS
You will be able to attend up to 3 workshops during the seminar in addition to the plenary sessions. Please select your choice of workshops when you register. Workshops are
allocated on a first-come first-served basis, if a session is in great demand; we will not be able to guarantee your first choice.
Please note that you can contact your local Student Finance Consultant after the seminar to arrange for them to deliver any workshop session you are unable to attend on the day.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Registration for this seminar will open on Monday, 18 July 2011. To register please access the following web address www.events-slc.co.uk and click on the IAG Partner
Seminars 2011 tab.
LOGISTICS
Venue Information;
22 September 2011: Hilton Manchester Deansgate, Manchester
28 September 2011: Park Plaza Victoria, London
06 October 2011: Birmingham NEC, Birmingham
Map and Directions: Map and directions for each venue can be downloaded from www.events-slc.co.uk and click on the IAG Partner Seminars 2011 tab.
Special Requirements: If you have any special requirements, either health-related or dietary, please detail your requirements when you register.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Should you require any further information regarding this forthcoming seminar, please do not hesitate to contact the Events Team using the contact details listed below:
Email events@slc.co.uk
Telephone +44 (0) 141 243 3704
WORKSHOPS SUMMARY – INFORMATION, ADVICE & GUIDANCE PARTNER SEMINARS
IAG Campaign for AY 2012/13
Tracy McAllister; Campaign and Customer Communications Manager, SLC
The Student Finance England AY 2012/13 campaign introduces a number of new IAG products for students and sponsors, and an improved and extended range of resources for
practitioners to support the student facing campaign.
This workshop will familiarise you with the materials on offer and help you find ways to integrate these into lesson plans, your own online platforms, social media etc. This workshop
is for anyone who wants to ensure accurate and timely student finance information is available regardless of channel.
Practitioners’ resources for AY 2012/13
Jon Legg and Lucy Marwood; Regional Student Finance Consultants, SLC
This workshop will look at the new materials available to help you explain student finance for AY 2012/13 to the students you work with, and their parents.
You will have an opportunity to view and comment on a new resource for use with parents, lessons plans developed with our partners that link in with the IAG Quality Standards
and to hear about all of our other practitioner resources.
Online student experience
Lesley Raybould; Online Services Manager, SLC
As the majority of students now apply online, SLC is working with partners in Directgov (Government Digital Service; GDS) and BIS to further enhance usability through evolution of
the service through customer input at every stage of the design process. This has already seen us revolutionise our usability testing approach and involve new development
methods, and will result in the most user centred design ever undertaken.
The online application has seen several changes over the last three years to provide a more usable, efficient service to customers. This workshop will give you the opportunity to
sample our usability testing and have your own input.
Online IAG support for practitioners
Andy Shenton, Regional Student Finance Consultant; SLC
Bobby King; Online Services Analyst, SLC
Working on feedback from stakeholders and partners, SLC will re-launch the new corporate website later this year. In addition to improved design, functionality and information
architecture, we are merging the Practitioners’ and HE websites into this site to bring all the information you need into one place. This new super-site represents a major step
forward in our guidance provision and for the first time ever is designed around the people who use it - you.
This workshop will give you a preview of how this new super-site will look and feel, will highlight the online resources that will be available through the website and will give you the
chance to influence the final design stages.
UCAS – Preparing yourself for 2012
Guest Speaker; UCAS
This workshop will provide you with all the information you need to prepare yourself and your students for applying to go to university in 2012. It will highlight all of the UCAS
information channels and resources available to practitioners and your students.
Higher Education – A disabled student’s experience
Adam Hyndland; Campaigns Director, Diversity and Ability Ltd
This workshop will be presented by Diversity and Ability ambassadors, participants will get to hear various students’ experiences and find out why the disabled students voice is at
the heart of everything Diversity and Ability does. The workshop will also explore the benefits of peer support and the difference between disability centric Assistive Training and
information technology training.
We will highlight how some of the limitations with current Assistive Training provisions have been overcome by students peer to peer support and illustrate how Specific Learning
Difficulties support and Assistive Technology training can be integrated to create a stronger student voice and community of support. Our goal is to ensure students celebrate and
fulfil their full potential and play an active role in reinforcing the importance of Disabled Students' Allowances.
Students with dependants and independent students
Gavin Ions, Assessing Team Leader, SLC
Student Finance England provides additional support to students with dependants and can require non-standard evidence types for students who wish to be considered
independent.
The aim of the workshop is to provide an understanding of the application process for dependants' grants (including Parents' Learning Allowance, Adult Dependants' Grant and
Childcare Grant) and to give guidance on the decision making process for cases where students wish to claim independent status.
Student Finance England operational processing
Chris Snowdon, Assessing Team Leader, SLC
This workshop will provide delegates with an insight on how applications are processed by taking you through the end to end process from receipt of applications and supporting
documentation through to payment of support.
Topics will include scanning, identity, NI number and income verification through our link with HMRC, and recent automatic system enhancements such as automated roll over of
non means tested assessments and online change of circumstances. Delegates will gain an invaluable understanding of the system and will be better placed to answer student
queries and assist in their resolution.
AGENDA
From 08:30 Registration open with refreshments
09:45 Plenary
Welcome and introduction from the Seminar Chair
Jenifer Stirton; Director of Marketing and Communications, SLC
Presentation by BIS
Guest Speaker; Department of Business, Innovation and Skills
University Access Agreements
Guest Speaker; Office for Fair Access
Student Finance England
Derek Ross; Director of Operations, SLC
11:30 Refreshments & networking
11:50 Question Time
Chaired by Jenifer Stirton
12:15 Workshop session 1
UCAS – Preparing yourself for 2012
IAG campaign for AY 2012/13
Practitioners’ resources for AY 2012/13
13:00 Lunch
13:45 Workshop session 2
Student Finance England operational processing
Online student experience
Higher Education – A disabled student’s experience
14:35 Workshop session 3
Online IAG support for practitioners
Students with dependants and independent students
IAG campaign for AY 2012/13
15:25 Refreshments & networking
16:00 Seminar wrap up and close
Jenifer Stirton; Director of Marketing and Communications, SLC
16:15 Close
The Student Finance Consultants will be available throughout the day to discuss any aspect of Student Finance England’s range of services and resources.