CAVA News

It is with a profound mix of emotions that I share my transition from the role of CEO at CAVA over the next six months. I will be moving on to build my own coaching and consulting business. Serving as the CEO of this fantastic organisation for more than four years has been a privilege and honour. Together, we have accomplished remarkable milestones during a period of unprecedented turbulence and worked tirelessly to advance our mission of enabling adults to achieve their aspirations through education. I want to assure you that the CAVA Board and I are working closely to ensure a seamless transition that safeguards the continuity of CAVA’s operations. Recruitment is now open for the new CEO to take CAVA forward to our next stage of development. The CAVA Board is seeking a leader who shares our passion, possesses excellent strategic and operational skills, and has a proven track record of inspiring positive change. Please refer to the recruitment pack for detailed information on the role...

There are 1.3 million people in England with a learning disability, including over 950,000 adults aged 18 and above. In the past few years, more students are facing additional barriers to their learning due to factors such as the cost of living crisis and the impacts COVID 19. We have identified three of our providers who each have a high focus on students with learning barriers, and have demonstrated good practice by supporting all of their students, especially those with additional needs. Access Creative College, Nottingham College and Truro and Penwith College are just three of our members who demonstrate excellent work with their Access to HE Diploma students. Below are a few of the different support measures they put in place with their students. Access Creative College Access Creative College  is dedicated to supporting their students, especially those facing additional learning barriers. This support begins right from the open days, where Learning Support Managers (LSMs) and...

Every year CAVA celebrates our students with the two CAVA awards - the ‘Outstanding Commitment to Study’ award and the ‘Outstanding Academic Achievement’ award. Last year we received incredible stories from a range of different CAVA members. Among all of the worthy nominations, these four students stood out. For the academic year 2022-23 our runner up for Outstanding Commitment to Study, was Cherie Shepherd who completed the Access to HE Diploma (Science) at Nottingham Trent University. Cherie Shepherd Despite a daunting array of health challenges, including Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), dyslexia, and ADHD, Cherie displayed remarkable resilience throughout her studies. Beginning her course, Cherie quickly demonstrated her ability and commitment to succeed. Whilst she lived with carers due to her health conditions, she navigated her studies with an extraordinary level of dedication. Her routine included long hours at the library whilst balancing her academic responsibilities w...

Many people around the country celebrated  Green Careers Week , a noteworthy event spanning from 6 to 11 November 2023. This initiative sheds light on emerging technologies and careers with the potential to positively transform our world. At CAVA, we are passionate about enabling adults to achieve their aspirations through education. We recognise the importance of education for sustainable development and the vital role education has to play in the successful achievement for the  17 United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).  The Access to HE Diploma aligns with several key SDGs, contributing to global progress in tangible ways: Quality Education (SDG 4) The Access to HE Diploma serves as a pathway for lifelong learning, designed for adults and to fit around adult’s other commitments. The qualification is regulated by the  QAA  to ensure it is high quality and provides opportunities for adults to progress to higher education. Through CAVA's collaborati...

 Due to the cost of living crisis, retention is an ongoing issue across the country. CAVA members continue to implement a range of support for their students to counteract these issues and ensure their students can achieve to the best of their ability. Over the past five years, Truro and Penwith College has supported their Access to HE students to have a high retention rate and strong grade outcomes. Recently, their Access to HE Coordinator spoke to us to discuss their effective practices. Support from application Truro and Penwith College begin their support for students before they are accepted onto one of their Access to HE courses, by engaging with students via a phone call during the application stage. Within this discussion, students are encouraged to look into career exploration and consider different higher education (HE) progression routes which they may be interested in. This focuses students on the reasons why they are studying and serves as a key motivator throughout th...

Analysis of student outcomes across the CAVA membership has shown exceptionally high pass rates on Access to HE Diplomas. This demonstrates a close relationship between retention and achievement - if students stay until the end of their course, they tend to achieve their full Diploma. We have been exploring retention good practice with our CAVA members. Loughborough College has a wide variety of ways in which they support their students. The Curriculum Manager for Access to HE sat down with Georgia Green, CAVA’s Communication and Events Officer, to share their good practice and give an insight into some of the ways they are supporting their students. Application Loughborough College starts to support their students before they are accepted onto the Access to HE Diploma. During the application process, a member of staff conducts a phone call with each student where they discuss topics such as why they have taken a break from education, their family structure, and whether they have a rel...