Thanks to generous support from financial services company Admiral, Jesus College has ensured the continued participation of all Carmarthenshire schools in The Brilliant Club Scholars Programme.

This highly impactful scheme recruits, trains and places PhD researchers in schools and colleges across the UK to deliver university-style learning, giving an academic boost for bright, but disadvantaged, young people. The Scholars programme is an initiative of The Brilliant Club, which works to support less advantaged students to access the most competitive universities, and to succeed when they get there.

 

Carmarthenshire continues to be one of the UK’s worst represented counties at highly selective universities like Oxford. Access Fellow Dr Matt Williams says, “The county’s schools had faced having to cut their ties with the programme to manage rising costs. However, our ongoing partnership with Admiral Insurance has enabled Jesus College to step in to support schools across Carmarthenshire to maintain their participation in the Scholars Programme”.

Later this month, Years 8 and 9 students from Carmarthenshire schools who are part of The Brilliant Club programme will be visiting Jesus College to get a taste of life and study at Oxford. Matt says, “We are expecting around 130 learners to come and see us. Following their visit, there will be ongoing support within the county’s schools from local PhD researchers, and a graduation later in the summer”.

Jesus College and Admiral began an access partnership in September 2021 to support a wide range of Welsh access initiatives over a three-year period. This work includes outreach partnerships with several Welsh primary and secondary schools, careers and interviews advice workshops for secondary school students, and additional support to the College’s prestigious Seren Summer School programme and the University of Oxford’s Oxford Cymru consortium.