Former students born and raised in the borough will have their faces on the back of buses across the county in a bid to encourage more local people to raise their sights by going into higher education.

Former students born and raised in the borough will have their faces on the back of buses across the county in a bid to encourage more local people to raise their sights by going into higher education.

The mobile adverts include UEA alumni hailing from Hemsby, Bradwell, Gorleston and Great Yarmouth. They will be seen on routes taking in Norwich, King's Lynn, Lowestoft and Yarmouth.

UEA bosses hope the advertising drive will boost the higher education participation rate in Norfolk, which is one of the lowest in the country.

The adverts will also appear at bus stops and in newspapers, and will include details of the courses they studied and what job they took after their degree.

One of the “faces”, 31-year-old Colin Goffin, from Hemsby, went to school in Norwich and studied English literature at UEA, where he also completed his PGCE teaching qualification. He is now assistant headteacher at Benjamin Britten High School in Lowestoft.

He said: “I was offered my first job through my PGCE placement and was grateful for the local contacts the school offered. There is a good student life and non-academic side at UEA, offering a variety of opportunities. I know that when taking on a trainee teacher from UEA I can expect a strong candidate who will be reliable and well-supported.”

Among the other featured former students is Samantha Lines, 29, who grew up in Norwich and wanted her degree to fit in with her life in Norfolk.

She was keen to study at UEA, as it is renowned for environmental sciences, and she started her course in 1996. She now works as a report manager for Yarmouth firm Gardline Environmental.