Classroom & career
The University of Oxford is not only for the academics and students fortunate enough to study within its walls; it is a resource for everyone. At a time when access to education, skills, and career support is critical for social mobility and economic resilience, Oxford recognises its responsibility to serve the wider community. We want to empower individuals at every stage of life, whether they are exploring new interests, reskilling for a changing world of work, or seeking guidance and confidence to pursue meaningful careers.
Education should open doors, not only for those enrolled at the University, but for people at every stage of life.
Across our divisions, departments, colleges, and professional services teams, Oxford is working to widen access to learning and strengthen pathways into meaningful employment. Academic departments are sharing their expertise through outreach and enrichment, access programmes, and careers specialists to support learners from school age through to mid-career transitions.
Alongside research-informed initiatives, a wide range of practical programmes, outreach programmes such as mentoring schemes, employability workshops, school partnerships, and community learning projects, are helping eliminate barriers to opportunity in our community and beyond.
Below you can explore some of the ways that our departments, colleges, and staff, and students are working to expand access to education and supporting career development.
Opening pathways through language and creativity
The Queen’s Translation Exchange (QTE) encourages young people to engage with languages and international culture through creative learning and national outreach. Its flagship Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators engages over 22,000 students from 400+ schools each year, bringing literary translation into classrooms across the UK. Alongside this, QTE trains university students as Creative Translation Ambassadors, creating a pathway that connects classroom learning with higher education and future careers in languages.
Communities engaging with science
Science Together is a community engagement programme connecting researchers from the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University with local organisations across Oxfordshire to co-develop projects rooted in real-world challenges. Since launching in 2021, the programme has brought together over 50 researchers, 30 facilitators, and 22 community partners, creating collaborations that extend beyond the programme itself.
In 2025–26, eight new community-led projects are addressing issues including youth voice, climate resilience, public health, and inclusion, from supporting young carers to developing tools that measure environmental and social impact. By working in partnership, Science Together creates opportunities for researchers and communities to build skills, exchange knowledge, and apply research in ways that directly benefit local people, with further projects and collaborations continuing to develop.
External engagement
Partnerships, research, collaboration and resources form a connected portfolio, linking activity from local communities to global contexts and creating impact beyond the University.
