ABOUT US

About the Forum for Access and Continuing Education (FACE)

For more than 40  years FACE has united the changemakers committed to widening participation and lifelong learning. Founded as the Polytechnic Association for Continuing Education in 1984 and relaunched as FACE in 1994, we remain the UK’s longest‑standing, entirely member‑led network dedicated to advancing equity in education.

Who IS FACE FOR?

FACE is more than a network—it’s the sector’s shared home for widening participation and lifelong learning. Entirely member‑led and proudly cross‑sector, we unite the doers and thinkers who believe talent is everywhere and opportunity should be too. From frontline practitioners to senior strategists, our community collaborates, challenges and turns evidence into action so that every learner can access, and flourish in, higher education.

Why FACE?

Credible heritage: Four decades of national conferences, peer‑reviewed research volumes and policy contributions—from Aimhigher to the Lifelong Learning Entitlement.
Cross‑sector reach: 200+ members from HE, FE, schools, charities and sector bodies, all learning and leading together.
Evidence into action: Our Special Interest Groups, disseminars and Annual Research Publication translate cross-sector practice into institutional programmes that make a difference.
A seat at the policy table: Collective responses to OfS, DfE and UCAS consultations ensure practitioner insight shapes regulation.

What we do

Connect – Peer networks, Special Interest Groups (SIGs), regional meet‑ups and an inclusive Annual Summit and Conference.

Learn – Webinars, disseminars and a growing library of good‑practice guides and toolkits.

Influence – Joint research, policy roundtables and national recommendations drafted at our flagship annual Conference.

FACE brings together the people who actually deliver change on the ground and gives them a national voice.

FACE annual conference and other activities

The major set piece in our calendar is our annual conference which takes place every summer over three days. Here practitioners, researchers, third-sector professionals and others come together to network, listen to keynote speakers and collaborate.

A key output of each annual conference is a publication containing key research papers that set the agenda for the following year. For members, this is a valuable opportunity to be published, as well as gaining digital access to all the research we have supported over the years.

In addition to the FACE annual conference and research papers, we also produce:

Blogs sharing best practices
Podcasts with insight into the issues of the day
Special interest groups
A monthly email bulletin