Memorandum submitted by the City and Guilds
of London Institute
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The evidence presented is from the City &
Guilds of London Institute and explains the Higher Education Qualifications
it awards. Their purpose in providing parallel and linked qualifications
largely on a part time basis to traditional University delivered
qualifications. It raises the key issues of the funding for these
qualifications and that that this needs to be made much more easily
accessible and assured.
1.1 FACTUAL INFORMATION
City & Guilds of London Institute are keen
to respond to this House of Commons Education and Skills Committee
Inquiry into Higher Education as we believe that the work based
model of Higher Level Qualifications that we have developed provides
parallel pathways to connect with the University/Higher Education
system as well as potentially adding value to the University Higher
Education system; but these pathways do require proper funding
and recognition for them to be both successful and sustainable.
1.2 Over the past five years City &
Guilds have developed a range of Higher Professional Diploma qualifications
focussed on Level 4 of the National Qualifications Framework—equivalent
to the first year of a degree. These are described in Appendix
1.[49]
These qualifications provide a developmental pathway for the 110,000
City & Guilds candidates who achieve a Level 3 qualification
each year and also give them potential to move onto the second
year/stage of a Foundation Degree.
They are aimed principally at part time in work
candidates but can be run as full time programmes so long as significant
work experience is provided. This is because the HPDs are structured
as 120 credit qualifications across a significant range of vocational
subject areas illustrated in Appendix 2.
1.3 The key issue for increasing the take
up of these qualifications is that of a clearly defined source
of funding.
They have been accredited by QCA which means
that they are fundable but still come within the "non-prescribed
HE" area and so funding is not assured for centres. There
are promises in the FE White Paper that such defined sources will
be forthcoming and it is vitally important that this occurs soon.
We would be keen for the Committee to support and endorse this
development. It would also greatly aid the Leitch Report's emphasis
on the need for greater acquisition of higher level skills if
the UK is to develop its competitive edge worldwide in the next
15 years.
1.4 What these qualifications also provide
is a way of giving recognition to the first year of Vocational
Foundation Degrees and Degrees. This model is explored in Appendix
3 (article for Foundation Degree Forward Magazine). The attraction
of giving recognition to students on HE programmes at Level 4
is likely to increase as tuition fees kick into the HE system
and students and parents increasingly ask what outcomes they are
achieving from the programmes they are now having a financial,
consumer interest in and "shopper" focus.
1.5 The Master Professional Diplomas have
been developed to provide a Masters Level Qualification that again
can be achieved part time and whilst at work and could equate
to 90 -120M credits (half or two thirds of a Masters programme).
The same issues of assured funding to encourage and increase take
up also apply to these QCA accredited qualifications. Again they
can be a valuable qualification in their own right or a pathway
to a Master's Degree.
1.6 As well as these focused qualifications
we also have Senior Awards which derive from the Royal Charter
that City & Guilds has held since 1900. These provide a mechanism
for gaining recognition of professional development through the
award of Licentiateship, Graduateship and Membership—LCGI,
GCGI, MCGI, designatory letters. A number of Universities (Appendix
4) use these to give added value recognition to undergraduates
completing work experience as part of their programmes. There
are also a variety of other organisations that use these programmes
to give higher level recognition to staff of softer skills and
in-house training at a variety of levels (Appendix 5).
1.7 As well as this recognition process
through Delegated Authorities, City & Guilds has systems to
enable individual candidates to put themselves forward for recognition
through completion of a portfolio or a project for which advisers
and assessors can be provided directly to the candidates (see
Appendix 6 for information on Senior Awards and Appendix 7 for
Delegated Authority information.
1.8 Sometimes organisations pay for staff
to acquire this recognition, occasionally there are sources of
funding as in the armed forces that individuals can use. However,
some assured source of funding to encourage take up of these Continuous
Professional Development recognition routes would enable take
up, participation and engagement.
1.9 As well as these broad offerings covering
most Sectors and specialisms of higher level qualifications and
recognition, we do run a specialist pathway in Engineering in
conjunction with EC/UK—the Engineering Council Exams (see
Appendix 8, please note this is only available in hard copy).
These provide an alternative part-time route to gaining Engineering
Technician, Incorporated Engineer and Chartered Member status
with British and other country Engineering Institutions by providing
an examinable pathway that can be engaged in part-time and parallels
the established undergraduate/postgraduate Degree pathways. Again
these exams have been accredited by QCA as fundable but assured
funding is needed if Colleges are to run courses leading to these
qualifications.
2.1 RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR ACTION
We believe we have developed a model of Higher
Education progression for those largely in work which can connect
with and dovetail to traditional university delivered HE qualifications.
The key requirement for greater involvement by individuals and
employers is clearly designated and easily accessed funding. It
is in this area that we believe the Committee needs to focus some
important attention and make key recommendations to support growth
of the part time, in work, HE provision that City and Guilds has
now successfully developed.
December 2006
49 Appendices are not printed. Back
| 
