CASH to get disadvantaged young people into higher education has been given to a partnership led by Oxford Brookes University.

The £3.4m won by Study Higher is set to be spent on activities at schools and colleges across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Swindon to raise awareness about the benefits of going to university.

It includes a project to encourage white working class boys to continue their education, with advice given to students hoping to progress vocational qualifications.

Alice Wilby, Oxford Brookes' director of UK recruitment and partnerships, said: "This represents an excellent opportunity for us to make a substantial difference to the progression of students from our region, and complements our existing work to widen access the university."

The funding was granted after a bid to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) as part of its 'national collaborative outreach programme'.

This supports the Government's pledge to double the proportion of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in higher education by 2020, also boosting the number of students from ethnic minority groups by a fifth.

It is meant to address concerns that young men from disadvantaged backgrounds are underrepresented at universities.

Study Higher is a partnership between Oxford Brookes University, University of Oxford, Bucks New University, University of Reading and six further education colleges.

Last November, it received £22,000 to fund projects and activities aimed at increasing the number of Bangladeshi and Pakistani girls in higher education.

It was announced that Oxford Brookes would receive £150,000 to be the lead institution for the partnership in January 2015.