Memorandum 58
Submission from the Edge Foundation
The Edge Foundation is a charity and company
limited by guarantee. Our aim is to make the case for practical
learning, by which we mean learning by doing, for real. The Foundation
funds projects which develop or demonstrate good practice in practical
learning, and seeks to improve perceptions of practical learning
in the eyes of young people, teachers, parents and the general
public.
SUMMARY
— Higher education is much more diverse
than the inquiry's terms of reference seem to suggest. HE is about
more than just degrees, it's as much for adults as for young people,
it's about part-time study as well as full-time courses, and it's
offered by many further education colleges as well as universities.—
We need to challenge the widespread belief that academic qualifications
such as A levels are the only route into HE. The belief arises
partly because -
— many HE admissions tutors do favour academic
qualifications such as A levels and discriminate against vocational
qualifications such as NVQs. We need a national programme to improve
admissions tutors' knowledge of apprenticeships and vocational
qualifications.
— school teachers and careers advisors
don't appreciate just how many adults enrol on HE courses after
successfully completing vocational programmes. UCAS and HEFCE
should collect and disseminate data about part-time HE students
so that the full facts are more widely known.
— Apprentices should be encouraged to progress
into HE. To make this happen, apprenticeship frameworks should
be included in the UCAS tariff, and apprentices should be offered
extra help (if they need it) with skills such as essay writing.
— The Government should change the HE participation
target to apply to all adults, not just people below the age of
30.
— HE provision should be fully flexible
to meet the needs of adults. For example, there should be more
weekend tuition, plus greater use of credit accumulation and transfer
so that adults can study in different places over a period of
time.
— All students—not just those studying
for explicitly vocational qualifications such as a degree in medicine—should
have the opportunity to learn by doing for real, by which we mean
practising their knowledge and skills in a real-world setting.
— Employers should be involved in the design
and delivery of every degree-level qualification, not just explicitly
vocational degrees.
— Higher-level NVQs should be treated as
mainstream HE qualifications.
INTRODUCTION: A COMMENT
ON THE
SCOPE OF
THE INQUIRY
1. The Committee's invitation to submit
evidence on students and universities appears to limit the scope
of the inquiry in some important ways:
— the title of the inquiry, "Students
and Universities", seems to overlook the growing role of
further education colleges in the provision of higher education
(HE)
— the call for evidence contains an implicit
emphasis on first full (bachelors) degrees, particularly in the
section headed "degree classification", to the exclusion
of other HE programmes
— in the context of admissions to HE, the
call for evidence refers to A-levels, Advanced Diplomas, apprenticeships
and university entrance tests: these are, of course, not the only
route into HE
— the call for evidence mentions "government
targets for Higher Education participation", which relate
to participation by people under the age of 30; participation
in HE is increasingly important for adults of all ages.
2. It is of course very sensible to limit
the scope of the inquiry in some way: an entirely open-ended inquiry
would be unmanageable! However, it is not clear whether these
particular restrictions have been arrived at deliberately. Either
way, we are worried that they may reinforce -
— a widespread bias in favour of what might
be called "traditional" first degree programmes
— an assumption that "HE" and
"university" are synonyms, and
— a belief that HE is something which people
do soon after they leave school.
3. In practice, the scope and role of HE
is much broader and more diverse than the call for evidence might
suggest. Many of our comments (below) reflect this broader view.
4. We will comment only on those aspects
of the Committee's inquiry where we have a particular point of
view.
Effectiveness of the process for admission to
Higher Education Institutions, and the role of the Government
in developing and promoting fair access and admissions policies
for the UK Higher Education sector
5. One of DIUS's three core priorities for
the future of HE is that HEIs should work to widen participation
beyond young people leaving school or college with good A levels.
It is particularly important for DIUS to lead the way in promoting
progression to HE from apprenticeships and other vocational programmes.
6. However, it is currently very difficult for
young people to progress to university unless they have conventional
"academic" qualifications such as A levels. There are
three main reasons for this:
— very few apprenticeship frameworks are
recognised in the UCAS tariff system
— very few admissions tutors recognise
the potential of young people who have completed competency-based
apprenticeships: they are much more familiar with A levels and
other knowledge-based qualifications
— few apprenticeship frameworks develop
generic skills needed by new entrants to HE, such as essay writing,
research and debating skills; and some do not develop specific
skills needed for progression to HE (eg A level maths is generally
required for entry to a degree level programme in engineering,
but is not a compulsory element of the engineering apprenticeship
framework).
7. As a result of these factors, it is not
surprising that only 2-4% of apprentices currently progress to
higher education.[204]
8. To help improve progression from apprenticeships
to HE, Edge recommends that:
(i) apprentices should have the option to undertake
an access to HE course alongside, or after completing, their apprenticeship
(ii) all level 3 qualifications (including NVQs)
should be included in the UCAS Tariff, and DIUS should fund UCAS
to develop a "points calculator" to give credit for
completing an apprenticeship framework
(iii) admissions tutors should not discriminate
against vocational qualifications, nor in favour of academic qualifications
such as A levels; and there should be a national programme
of continuous professional development to improve admissions tutors'
knowledge of apprenticeships and vocational qualifications
(iv) the Government should introduce a national
bursary scheme for students who enter HE following an Apprenticeship
or other vocational programme at level 3
9. It is too soon to know whether admissions
tutors will routinely discriminate against young people who gain
new Diplomas. However, 65% of HE applications made by A Level
students are successful, compared with 11% from BTec students:[205]
this is surely a powerful warning for the future, as is the NAO's
comment that "The absence of clear progression pathways for
non-academic qualifications in England marks a clear distinction
from the other countries [we have] studied."[206]
10. Indeed, we are concerned that some HEIs
are already suggesting that some diplomas will not equip students
for HE. Accordingly, Edge suggests that:
(v) the Department for Innovation, Universities
and Schools, the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, Sector
Skills Councils and the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals,
should -
a.review HEIs' policies on admitting students
who hold qualifications other than A levels and
b.recommend ways to overcome admissions tutors'
reservations.
11. Taking a slightly wider view, there
is a real need for better information, advice and guidance (IAG),
to counter prejudice against vocational learning among teachers
and careers staff. Such prejudice currently results in many young
people being steered away from vocational options, because adults
believe other options (eg A levels) are the only guaranteed route
into HE. Edge recommends that -
(vi) UCAS and HEFCE should collect and disseminate
data about the characteristics of part-time HE students: this
will demonstrate that a high proportion of adult students do not
hold A levels or other "academic" qualifications when
they first enter HE
12. Finally, admissions policies should
encourage participation and progression amongst adults of any
age: we comment further on this point in the next section.
The UK's ability to meet government targets for
Higher Education participation and the relevance of these targets
13. The Government's principal target is
for 50% of young people to participate in HE before the age of
30.
14. We support the Government's view that "participation"
can take many forms, from a short part-time course to a full-time
degree programme. It is a pity that so many commentators fail
to understand this point.
15. However, we see no reason to limit the
participation target to a particular age group. A total of 12
million adults in the workforce (69%) have qualifications below
level 4. According to recent research, 30% would consider going
to university at some time in the future and 6% were already seriously
considering this option.[207]
16. Edge therefore recommends that -
(vii) the Government should no longer limit its
participation target to people under the age of 30 and should
instead actively encourage entry to HE at any age.
17. There are, of course, some barriers
to adult participation in HE (and other forms of learning, for
that matter). Adults often have additional responsibilities—for
example, as parents and carers—which make full-time participation
very difficult.
18. There are already opportunities to study
at home, notably through the Open University and learndirect,
and many HEIs (including FE colleges) offer part-time programmes
which include evening classes. Digital and web-based technologies
are helping to transform the ways HEIs can deliver learning, so
that high-quality learning can be delivered off-campus at a time
and location of a learner's choosing, while maintaining close
links with the HEI "hub".
19. That said, there is still some way to
go before HE offers a fully flexible approach to learning. For
example, HEIs should be challenged to teach more part-time students
on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as Monday to Friday, and to
accelerate the development of innovative and flexible teaching
methods.
20. In addition:
(viii) it should be much easier to study for
units at more than one institution (eg at a Further Education
college, a university, via learndirect, and so on), over an extended
time period. To support this, there should be -
(ix) greater consistency in the use of credit
accumulation and transfer frameworks; for work-related HE, these
frameworks should be developed and overseen by Sector Skills Councils.
The balance between teaching and research in UK
HEIs
21. Current government policy places too
much emphasis on research, sometimes at the expense of teaching.
Accordingly, Edge recommends that:
— a teaching-led institution
22. Funding formulae should recognise the
mission of each type of HEI. For teaching-led institutions, there
should be additional incentives to broaden the range of courses
and qualifications offered to students, particularly to promote
part-time and short courses for adults.
The quality of teaching provision
23. The Government, HEFCE and QAA view of
teaching and learning is, we believe, too narrow. It focuses too
closely on the quality of the teaching which takes place within
the confines of the HEI, and tends to underplay the importance
of learning which takes place elsewhere.
24. Knowledge gained in the lecture theatre or
the library is never enough on its own: students need opportunities
to practise what they learn. This is obvious in some contexts,
but less so in others. Medical students' performance in examinations
is a poor predictor of their clinical skill, for example, and
medical schools therefore provide a large amount of work-based
learning for all their students.
25. However, work-based learning is entirely
absent in many other HE courses. Practice, or the practical application
of knowledge, is too often rooted in the classroom, the desk exercise
and the case study. Edge believes that -
(xi) all students—not just those studying
for explicitly vocational qualifications such as a degree in medicine
and surgery—should have the opportunity to learn by doing
for real, by which we mean practising their knowledge and skills
in a real-world setting
(xii) access to opportunities to learn by doing
should be monitored and reported on by the QAA
26. "Learning by doing" will include
students developing their own real-world projects (eg drama students
producing and performing their work before a live audience, management
students setting up their own business, etc), but must also include
working with people, businesses, charities and other organisations
outside the HEI, in real work settings. All "learning by
doing" should support—and explicitly count toward—the
award of higher education qualifications.
27. To support this, HE teaching staff should
themselves be required to spend a meaningful amount of time in
work placements outside their institution, in order to refresh
their knowledge and understanding of modern working practices
and the skills needed by employers.
28. Edge strongly believes that employers
should have much greater influence over the structure and content
of HE courses. At present, some HEIs concentrate on attracting
students to courses they want to offer, and neglect the needs
of the wider labour market. At the same time, many students believe
that HE automatically opens the door to a graduate-level job and
to a lifetime earnings premium: although this may be true on average,
it has ceased to be true for some disciplines and some
HE departments.
29. Employers are already closely associated
with some HE programmes. It would be inconceivable for an HEI
to offer a degree in medicine without the active support of the
NHS, and most engineering departments have excellent relationships
with individual employers and their professional bodies. However,
many courses—especially in the arts and social sciences—are
designed and delivered with little or no input from employers.
Edge strongly recommends that -
(xiii) no degree-level qualification should be
awarded unless employers have been involved in its design, and
HEIs should be required to involve employers in the delivery of
every programme at Foundation Degree or first degree level. Employer
involvement in the design of degree-level programmes should be
led by Sector Skills Councils, co-ordinated by the UK Commission
for Employment and Skills
The quality of learning facilities
30. There has been sustained investment
in HE facilities (including FE colleges) over the last decade.
This is very welcome, and many campuses readily stand comparison
with the best in the world. Our reservation is that some of the
investment in facilities has been too timid and conventional.
31. In order to raise the status of vocational
learning, provide clear progression routes and improve the employability
of students, Edge recommends that -
(xiv) providers of HE should be funded to develop
new centres of vocational excellence, endorsed by employers.
32. Wherever possible, centres of vocational
excellence should be co-located with relevant businesses (or public
and third sector employers). Alternatively, they should operate
as businesses in their own right.
33. For example, Edge has agreed to sponsor
a hotel school which will be run by the University of Essex and
Colchester Institute. The new venture has the full support of
leading employers and is part of the National Hospitality Skills
Academy set up by People 1st, the Sector Skills Council for hospitality
and tourism. It will offer 5* service to paying customers, and
will enable students to study for HE qualifications through a
combination of work-based learning and off-the-job lectures, seminars
and projects. Students will be able to enrol at three points in
the year, and to progress more rapidly than they would in a more
conventional HE setting.
34. We believe the Edge Hotel School will
be a template for other centres of vocational excellence, not
just in hospitality, but in many sectors of the economy.
Degree classification
35. We do not wish to comment on this issue,
except to repeat our earlier comment: the inquiry places an undue
emphasis on degrees. HE must provide a broad range of opportunities
if it is to make a full contribution to the skills and knowledge
needed by the UK workforce in the 21st century.
Further action required by the Government and/or
HEFCE to ensure that UK HEIs offer students a world class educational
experience
36. It is important to see learning as a process
which may or may not be linear. The conventional view is that
someone who has completed a level 2 qualification will progress
to level 3, and then on to level 4 or 5. In practice, someone
who has completed a level 5 qualification might legitimately follow
this with a fresh period of learning at level 2 or 3.
37. Treating further and higher education as
separate phases, with separate qualification frameworks, is therefore
both unhelpful and unrealistic. There should be more and better
integration between qualification frameworks and types of institution.
As noted earlier, there should also be opportunities to study
for individual units over an extended period—that is, a
series of "bite size" opportunities which could lead
to the award of a full qualification at a later date. This would
also help many employers, especially small and medium-sized businesses,
to develop the skills and knowledge of their workforce.
38. We would like to see greater recognition
of work-based learning as a means of developing higher-level skills
and knowledge. In partnership with the University Vocational Awards
Council, Edge is supporting HE@Work, which is working with employers
and universities to find ways to give academic recognition to
workplace learning and make it easier for working people to gain
undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications.
39. Linked with this, it is wrong that NVQs
at level 4 and 5 sit outside the core list of HE qualifications,
because this suggests that they are inferior to other higher-level
awards. Edge recommends that -
(xv) higher-level NVQs should be routinely offered
by HEIs, both alone and in tandem with other qualifications, with
the active support, encouragement and funding of HEFCE.
January 2009
204 Source: University Vocational Awards Council. Back
205
Source: UCAS. Back
206
National Audit Office: "Partnering for success: preparing
to deliver the 14-19 education reforms in England", 2007. Back
207
University is Not Just for Young People: Working Adults' Perceptions
of an Orientation to Higher Education, DIUS Research Report 2008. Back
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