The role of student ambassadors in higher education: an uneasy association between autonomy and accountability

Abstract

The Aimhigher programme is one of the Labour government’s initiatives to widen participation in higher education (HE) for under‐represented groups and is related to the government’s target of increasing HE participation among 18‐ to 30‐year‐olds to 50 per cent by 2010. In effect, these policies date back to the recommendations made by the Dearing Committee in 1997, which investigated the state of HE in the United Kingdom, including widening participation, and to the earlier Robbins Report in the 1960s, which demonstrated the gap in HE participation across different socio‐economic groups. Widening participation initiatives focus chiefly on raising aspiration and attainment among young people of the target group – it is within this context that student ambassadors (SAs) play an important role. SAs undertake both short‐term and longer‐term work through one‐off or sustained activities, which include helping out on Aimhigher events such as summer schools and going to schools to give talks or to mentor individuals or groups of children. This article argues that the role of SAs can be seen to be underscored by various underlying tensions and complexities, which, given the continued role of SAs in UK HE institutions, require further investigation and analysis.