Widening Participation in Higher Education Shift happens

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Widening Participation inHigher EducationShift
happens
Mike Thompson 22nd April 2008
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Summary

• Demographic changes
• Labour market changes
• Student identities and decision making
• Government Policy

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Demographics

• 20 fall in18-20 cohort between 2010 2020
• Differences by socio-economic groupbirth rate
  lower in affluent communities
• Differences by region

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Figure 4 18-20 population 1972-2030
HEPI Source DfES from ONS population estimates
and GAD projections
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The world of work

• Globalised knowledge-based economy
• Growth in new graduate careers
• Reduction in manual / semi-skilled
• Portfolio careers
• Mobilityflexibilitychange

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Student decision making

• Awareness of graduate borrowing
• HE qualification as a career investment
• Differential return by subject / institution
• Managing costs
• Going local, flexible, part-time provision, earn
  and learn options
• Raising the Cap (2010)
• Differential fees by HEI, by subject, by level of
  service?

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Learner identities

• What children age 11 say they will be doing at
  16 predicts the actual outcome
• Two thirds of those saying they would leave
  school at 16, did so
• Four fifths of those saying they would stay on
  post-16 did so.
• In England, differential attainment by social
  group is
• Evident at an early age and increases
• Unwittingly reinforced by British cultural
  conceptions of ability and some educational
  policies and practices (academic / vocational
  divide)
• Changes in social structure take place over
  decades, not three year funding cycles.
• Professor Paul Croll, University of Reading

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Shift Happens

• A movie of the presentation Shift Happens was
  played to the conference.
• You may view and download the original Shift
  Happens/Did You Know? presentation here

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Local Learners

• 3 year rolling survey of pupils at interface
  between Yr 8 and Yr 9 (3, 700 to date)
• Probes course choice and career aspirations and
  attitudes to post-16 and HE
• Correlates aspirations to home circumstances and
  performance at school
• Informs school curriculum planning and 14-19
  developments

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Local Learners

• Tells us that
• Circa 60 of females aspire to HE compared to
  50 males
• Family experience of HE a significant factor in
  those aspiring to HE
• Attraction of employment a significant factor in
  those not aspiring to HE
• Significance of informal sources of advice
• Gap in knowledge of qualifications needed for HE
  or employment!

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Government Policy

• 14-19 Developments
• Compulsory participation to 18
• New IAG Standards
• Aimhigher and HE Outreach
• 3 year Aimhigher extension
• Summer schools
• Aimhigher Student Associates Scheme

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Aimhigher Developments

• Confirmed to 2011
• Reduced funding and a focus on 14-19
  disadvantaged learners
• Looked-after children, disabled learners and
  those from lower socio-economic groups living in
  areas of deprivation
• Emphasis on widening access with regard to fair
  access

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Aimhigher Developments

• Summer School
• 3,000 Year 10 / 11 West Midlands Learners (2005
  to 2007) across 13 HEIs
• Funding confirmed to 2010
• Piloting of a new UCAS online application system
  for 2009, rolled out in 2010.
• Will bring culture of UCAS application into 11-16
  schools for first time

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Aimhigher Developments

• Aimhigher Student Associates Scheme
• Around 5,500 undergraduates will be recruited to
  provide long term support to more than 21,000
  pupils between the ages of 13 and 19 in schools
  and colleges across the country.
• John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation
  Universities and Skills
• 21million over 3 years
• Pilot in 2008 / 09.details yet to be confirmed