Widening Participation, Aimhigher

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Widening Participation, Aimhigher Further
Educationthe national pictureSouthwest
Partnership ConferenceTaunton, 22nd November
2005Melanie Fitton Regional Adviser, London

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Views on FE

• Its not a Cinderella but a middle child with
  huge potential that everyone has overlooked and
  it does itself no favours by moaning.
• Sir Andrew Foster 2005
• The sector is still surprised by initiatives on
  which it was not consulted and which it does not
  fully understand.
• LSDA 2005

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Good news you may have missed

• College success rates up to 72, 2 years ahead of
  target
• Drop-out rates down to 16
• A level pass rates similar to VI forms
• 93 in cf. with 96
• LSC 2005

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FE widening participation

• Role widely seen as including
• Redressing imbalances in educational achievements
  opportunities, 2nd chance
• Fostering social inclusion
• Building community relations neighbourhood
  renewal
• But not necessarily HE progression

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FE Aimhigher

• Relatively late arrival under P4P
• School dominance
• Wavering place of progression on AH list of aims
• Vocational work least developed
• Role of LSC

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So why bother with FE?

• NPB says so FECs must remain at the centre of
  AH delivery, Sept 2005
• Size of FE
• - there are many more 16-19 year-olds in FECs
  than there are in schools
• - progression routes for FE students are less
  understood less secure than trad A levels which
  predominate in schools

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Scale of FE

• 2003 - 41 of 16-18s in FT educ/training were in
  FECs, cf. 29 in maintained schools
• 2004 - 28 of all 16-18s were on FT courses in FE
  sector, cf. 18.4 in maintained schools
• Now over 4m learners in FE, up by 20 since 1997
• Most are adults PT, with big increase in women
  learners, 31 in increased nos since 1996

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3. Who studies in FE?

• Under-represented groups
• Less family experience of HE
• Lower GCSE scores
• Supported progression ladders
• Vocational routes
• Local delivery

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More reasons

• FE attracts adult learners provides
  alternative, non-traditional routes WBL for
  them
• FECs offer more local delivery
• FECs offer progression to/through HE in
  vocational areas, demonstrably work/career
  related

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7. FE HE

• 60 HE students are over 21
• 35 undergraduates study PT, 65 in FECs - PT
  routes increasingly attractive to learners
• 11 taught in FECs, growing with FDs
• 16 young 71 mature HE entrants dont have A
  levels in 2005 nearly 40 HE students entered
  HE on basis of vocational qualifications

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FE AH some issues 1

• Patchy provision of vocational routes to HE
• Vocational routes qualifications poorly
  understood among
• - teachers
• - vocational tutors
• - parents
• - guidance professionals
• - admissions tutors (Schwartz)

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FE AH issues 2

• Reputation of vocational education FE
• Poor funding situation
• the least able, on the lower level courses
  receive proportionately the lowest levels of
  funding LSDA 2005
• Unequal power relationships between FECs
  Universities

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FE capacity

• AH strategies that work best with FE involve
• Increasing capacity, usually resources to buy
  staff time develop own work
• Getting FE to lead strands of work, often
  vocationally related
• Addressing FECs own agendas along with WP/HE
  progression
• Working with vocational tutors to change
  attitudes, knowledge practice

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FE AH issues 3

• Difference between HE FE cultures
• Limitations of UCAS tariff
• - vocational students disadvantaged by raised
  offers designed to address improved A level
  grades, often impossible for them to
  achieve Vocational Admissions Research Project,
  report due Dec 2005
• - recognition of apprenticeships

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FE AH issues 4

• Concerns over HE capacity longterm, especially in
  vocational areas
• Concerns over ghettoising WP students into narrow
  range of HE programmes
• Concerns over impact of variable fees on FE
  providers of HE

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FE AH opportunities

• Lifelong Learning Networks
• Vocational routes into through HE
• FE HE partnerships
• Progression accords between partners
• Changes in HE curriculum
• Lifelong learning
• 16 approved (development or full funding)
• 5 under advanced discussions
• 7 initial discussions

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Yet more issues

• Role of LSC
• - AH funding
• - support for PSA 50 target
• - HE strategy
• Role of FE
• - LLNs HE-led
• - how active is FE
• - Universities are awarding bodies
• Therefore how equal are the partners?

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Other issues with LLNs

• Relationship with AH
• Where do schools fit in?

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Other opportunities

• FD development
• QCA work on Framework for Achievement
• 14-19 developments
• Other FE developments
• - IFP growth
• - Apprenticeship targets
• - CoVES
• What about private training providers?

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Foster Review

• Emphasis on single purpose for FE unambiguously
  economic, ie. provision of skill development.
• Impact on other objectives, eg. social inclusion,
  social justice, widening participation etc. hoped
  to flow from this.
• Therefore AH will need to demonstrate
  contribution to this key goal.

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AH FE in the Southwest

• Peacock Report
• Need to maintain focus on voc/WBL routes
• Potential for more AH work in FECs
• Importance ofAH engaging in local developments
  such as 14-19 LLNs
• Strategic role of FECs especially in rural areas

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• Contact details
• m.fitton_at_actiononaccess.org
• www.actiononaccess.org