In January of 2005, the partnership received around £1 million to build on previous activities and to pilot a Lifelong Learning Network in York and North Yorkshire. Higher York was one of the first Lifelong Learning Networks funded by HEFCE (the Higher Education Funding Council for England). In the last year, as part of a government drive to promote vocational and workplace progression into and through Higher Education, several more networks have been funded around the country. For more information click on one of the links below.

The Higher York Lifelong Learning Network builds on preliminary work undertaken by in Phase 1 and is aimed at:

• encouraging and enabling more local people into higher education and training, supporting the existing work of Aimhigher and local providers
  
• increasing choice, and improving opportunities, for local people to enter and progress through higher-level vocational and academic programmes
  
• integrating information, advice and guidance about FHE choices (both pre-entry and post-qualification) available locally
  
• strengthening student support activity
  
• additional cross-institutional student union provision
  
• making explicit links between course content and local/sub-regional need