The FACE Annual Conference

"Widening Access to Higher Education
in Divided Communities"

4th - 6th July 2012

University of Ulster, Derry
Londonderry, Northern Ireland

University of Ulster

We are pleased to announce that the
annual conference in the summer of 2012
will be hosted by the University of Ulster.

Keep up to date with this event on the
FACE 2012 conference website

The four key themes of the Conference are:

‘Divided Communities’ – SEC, Ethnicity, Gender, Disability
International and National Comparisons
Regional Approaches to Widening Access
Social Mobility – Demonstrating Impact

Download advance details of this event, including registration form and conference papers submission forms

Past FACE Conferences

FACE organises an annual conference which has developed into one of the major UK networking and dissemination events for practitioners in access, widening participation, lifelong learning, and continuing education. From this page you can access various abstracts, keynote and workshop presentations, and many slideshows of photographs from FACE conferences of recent years.

The very high level of international expertise in research and practice presented at the FACE conference each year does not mean that FACE delegates don't know how to have fun. Check out some of the slideshows or play a FACE conference quiz to see for yourself!

Play the "Smiley FACE" Conference 2008 Quiz Play the "Not Quite a Quiz" Conference 2009 Quiz

FACE Conference 2011

"Which Way Now To Widen Participation:
Lifelong Learning, Economy and Society"

Hosted by the University of Glasgow

For a review of this conference, go to

Session presentations, video clips and
Delegate's Review of the conference

Southampton Solent University will host FACE 2010

FACE 2010

"Which Way Now To Widen Participation:
Lifelong Learning, Economy and Society"

Hosted by Southampton Solent University

For a review of this conference, go to

Workshop presentations, Delegate's Review
of the conference, and photo slideshows

FACE Conference 2009 at Staffordshire University

"Towards a New Agenda for Lifelong Learning: Access, Diversity and Participation"

Staffordshire University, hosts of FACE 2009

Abstracts from the 2009 Conference

Keynote and Paper Session Workshop Presentations, and
Photo Slildeshows of the very popular 2009 conference

FACE Conference 2008 at York St John University

"Challenging Isolation: the role of lifelong learning"

York St John University

Keynote speeches and Workshop powerpoint presentations

Download a musical slideshow of images The Annual Gala Dinner (5Mb)

FACE Conference 2007 at the University of East London

"Social Justice and Lifelong Learning: diversity, globalisation, transformation"

University of East London

The keynote speech written by Bill Rammel (Minister of State
at the Department for Education and Skills) for FACE 2007

Download 2007 Photo Slideshow 1 Download 2007 Photo Slideshow 2

Download 2007 Photo Slideshow 3 Download 2007 Photo Slideshow 4

Download 2007 Photo Slideshow Gala Dinner

Quote from a Swedish delegate: "Thanks again for the interesting FACE conference this summer. I just want you to know that as a result of one of the workshops I met with Rachel Burke when we visited Australia earlier this month. We plan to keep in touch and hopefully we might do some research together. It would not have happened if it wasn’t for the FACE conference." (Patricia Staaf)