Cumbria's most disadvantaged teenagers are to get a £2.4 million helping hand to take up life changing university-level courses.

A new government-funded outreach programme will target youngsters in Carlisle, west Cumbria and Furness over the next two years.

It aims to encourage more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to consider taking a range of higher education (HE) qualifications.

The country's HE funding body has awarded the money to a consortium led by the University of Cumbria.

The university is working closely with other regional HE institutions, further education colleges and secondary schools on the Cumbria Collaborative Outreach Programme, which has created six new jobs.

Today (THURS) the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) has announced that the University of Cumbria-led group is one of 29 consortia across the country to receive funding.

Hefce's National Collaborative Outreach Programme assessment panel unanimously recommended the university's competitive bid for funding, describing it as "overwhelmingly successful".

Ian Sinker, associate dean for academic development and innovation at the University of Cumbria, said: "Working with our partners we will be able to target sustained, intensive and long term outreach activity in areas of Cumbria where the Government has identified lower than expected progression to higher education (HE) based on GCSE performance.

"We will look to work with young people in these areas to identify barriers to them participating in HE and then help them address these and make a decision if it is the best option for them."

He added: "Our aim is to show that HE is available to all young people who can benefit from it and it doesn’t mean a major upheaval from family and friends, but it can open up new opportunities which otherwise wouldn’t exist.”

The scheme will launch at the end of January following Hefce's £60m investment across the country.

The programme will drive a step change in the progression into HE of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, including members of ethnic minority groups and young men.

The new scheme in Cumbria comes days after the outgoing chief inspector of schools in England warned that secondary school children in the north and the Midlands are falling further behind their peers in the south.

Sir Michael Wilshaw was delivering his final annual report on England's schools and warned that the North West is a "particular concern".

The proportion of its secondary schools rated good or outstanding in the region has only increasing by three percentage points since 2011 - well below the national percentage points increase of 13.