Access to Academy (A2A)
This resource addressing accessing and entering into postgraduate study was created by Generation Delta, one of the 13 Research England-funded projects focused on racial equity and widening access to postgraduate education, to address entering into PGR studies.
Access to the Academy Training Resources
Generation Delta is an action research project with the aim of improving the experiences and outcomes of racially minoritised women in postgraduate research studies (PGR) in England through targeted interventions at three key phases of the PGR life cycle: Access to Academy (A2A), Retention and Progression (RaP) and Training for Careers (T4C).
During the funding period of 2022–2026, we facilitated student workshops and cross-institutional staff roundtables aligned with these three key phases to make change at both individual and institutional levels. Phase I (2022–2023) formed an exploratory period to define what students wanted from tailored training sessions aimed at women from racially minoritised backgrounds. Phase II (2024–2025) implemented student-informed topics into training sessions.
Generation Delta prioritises learning from lived experiences alongside making the process of entering the academy clear and accessible. The Access to the Academy (A2A) workshop incorporated opportunities to hear directly from current PGR students as well as essential guidance on key steps towards entry to PGR studies. Discussions around accessing the academy were often complex, capturing barriers faced by racialised women such as financial challenges, work-life balance, sense of belonging, and caring responsibilities. These training resources address A2A for racially minoritised women interested in pursuing PGR studies. These training resources bring together lessons from the workshops and are organised into two sections ‘Video Hub’ and ‘Supporting Activities’. Pairing both Generation Delta videos and participatory activities provide intersectional insights into access to the academy, calling on institutions to rethink how they recruit, support, and create pathways to PGR entry.
Generation Delta Team
Principal and Co-Investigators
- Professor Donna Chambers
Co-Investigator, University of Sunderland - Professor Uma Kambhampati
Co-Investigator, University of Reading - Professor Shaofeng Liu
Co-Investigator, University of Plymouth - Professor Amaka Offiah
Co-Investigator, University of Sheffield - Professor Farzana Shain
Co-Investigator, Goldsmiths, University of London - Professor Iyiola Solanke
Principal Investigator, University of Leeds
Project Team
- Dr Dami Folayan
Senior Research Fellow - Dr Monica Bernal Llanos
Senior Research Fellow - Dr Anna Horn
Project Manager - Mr Olumide Solate
Project Administrator - Ms Godstime David
Freelance Videographer - Dr Queenie Eng
Former Project Manager
This is a resource produced by a Research-England-funded EDI project. UKCGE has not been involved in the production of the content and the materials themselves have been uploaded with the permission of Research England and the project leaders. Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders; if we have made omissions or you feel certain materials should not be included here, please get in touch via ukcge@ukcge.ac.uk.