This interactive workshop will celebrate the power of collaboration, showcasing how schools, employers, universities, public services and community partners can work together to broaden horizons, challenge stereotypes and create lasting change.
Through reflection, discussion and shared ideas, participants will explore how collective action can transform opportunities for boys and consider the role they can play in shaping the next chapter of this growing county-wide movement.
What happens when research becomes action, and action becomes a movement?
From a Higher Education perspective, this workshop shares the journey of Breaking the Mould (an evidence-informed project that explored the barriers influencing boys’ educational progression and career choices across Cumbria) and demonstrates how its learning has evolved into the Cumbrian Boys Impact Hub and a future Girls focussed project.
More than a project showcase, this is an opportunity to explore how collaboration between education, employers, universities, public services and community organisations can create lasting change. Through shared reflection and interactive discussion, delegates will help shape the next chapter of this growing partnership and consider the role they can play in supporting boys across the county.
You’ll take away
- Insight into the evidence and collaboration that shaped Breaking the Mould and the Cumbrian Boys Impact Hub.
- A Higher Education perspective on the barriers and opportunities influencing boys’ aspirations and progression.
- Practical ideas for strengthening partnership working to improve outcomes for boys.
- An opportunity to influence the next phase of this county-wide initiative and become part of its future.
Meet your Facilitators
Lisa Jackson
Lisa is the Programme Manager for Hello Future, the University of Cumbria-led partnership that supports young people across Cumbria to progress into higher education.
With over 13 years’ experience in higher education outreach and widening participation, she specialises in partnership working, programme leadership and designing evidence-informed initiatives that improve opportunities for underrepresented learners.
Daniel Dutton
Daniel Dutton is Head of Student Recruitment and Outreach at the University of Cumbria, where he leads the strategic development of student recruitment, educational outreach, and widening participation across the region.
With over 18 years’ experience in higher education, he has worked collaboratively with colleagues and partners to develop regional strategies, strengthen partnerships and deliver initiatives that improve access, aspiration, and progression for learners. His work spans strategy, business development, marketing, stakeholder engagement, and partnership development, bringing together education, industry, local government and the third sector to respond to complex educational challenges.
Alongside his university leadership role, Daniel is the Strategic Lead for Hello Future, Cumbria’s Uni Connect partnership, working alongside schools, colleges, universities, and community organisations to address educational inequalities and improve progression into higher education for young people from underrepresented backgrounds. Through collaborative leadership, he has helped shape innovative, evidence-informed initiatives including the National Saturday Club in Carlisle, the Breaking the Mould programme, and the Cumbrian Boys Impact Hub, creating opportunities that connect education, creativity, careers, and communities while supporting long-term regional impact.
A defining feature of Daniel’s work is building connected educational ecosystems that enable organisations to work collectively towards shared ambitions. He is passionate about creating the conditions for meaningful collaboration, aligning education providers, employers, policymakers and communities around place-based opportunity, social mobility, and workforce development. By combining strategic leadership with evidence-informed practice, Daniel works with partners to turn shared ambition into sustainable action that delivers meaningful change for learners and communities.
Daniel is also a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) researcher exploring educational decision-making among under-resourced young males in Cumbria. His research introduces the concept of the “Illusion of Agency”, offering a new perspective on how place, identity and structural barriers influence educational choices. Through his research, he seeks to bridge evidence and practice, helping inform collaborative approaches to improving educational equity and progression.
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