Aligning the Educational Systems for Economic and Social Growth Charles Pickford Director of Employer Partnerships c.pickford@fdf.ac.uk www.fdf.ac.uk

About Foundation Degree Forward - fdf Mission Statement To meet the demands of workforce development, business improvement and the knowledge economy, fdf will seek to stimulate, support and sustain employer partnerships with the University and College sector. Context: Small operation – 15 field staff – regional and national roles 11 Central staff Specialist consultants Funded through the public purse – approx £3.2 million per annum Operate across the areas of policy, research, practice Operate in partnership 2

New approach ‘If we are to become a leading knowledge based economy we must create new routes into higher education and new forms of provision….We have to develop new higher education opportunities at [the intermediate level], orientated strongly to the employability skills, specialist knowledge and broad understanding needed in the new economy.’ Modernising Higher Education: meeting the global challenge: February 2000 DfES The recognition that alternatives to traditional campus based education (the holy grail for many 18 year olds, and the associated block teaching grant being the holy grail for many institutions) is, when translated to qualifications, fairly recent. Back in 2000 the department for education and skills recognised that new routes and new forms of higher education were required. Focus on intermediate level, new economy, employability. Worth noting that this is not a polarised agenda – Universities and Colleges have the capacity and capability to meet the needs of a broad church of learners. Young, mature, full time, part-time, postgraduate, undergraduate, taught, research led, campus based, work based. The issue is that Universities are predominantly aligned to delivering full time campus based education. 3

Leitch Review of Skills 3.56: Concentrating too much on younger age groups could create further longer term problems for the amount and the use of high level skills in our workforce…As the Higher education White Paper stated, new higher education growth should not be ‘more of the same’, based on traditional three year honours degrees. Rather provision should be based on new types of programme offering specific, job-related skills such as Foundation Degrees. In 2007 Lord Leitch also recognised the need for new types of programme. 4

Integration of work based and academic ‘The Foundation Degree will offer a new vocationally-focussed route into higher education. It will be academically rigorous and will provide an accessible and flexible building block for lifelong learning and future career success, drawing together further and higher education and the world of work. It will be designed to be highly valued in the labour market and appeal to a wide range of students, including the most able...For students wishing to continue their learning, there will be the opportunity to progress to an honours degree with only one-and-a-third extra years of study.’ Secretary of State for Education 2003 2003 saw the introduction of the Fd. The first new qualification to enter the English HE system for over 20 years and unique in its defining characteristics. Did the politicians and civil servants foresee the challenges of building partnerships between employers and universities and colleges? It can be argued that by its very nature the Foundation degree and related growth of Fd provision brings together collaboration between employers and education providers to unprecedented levels, and importantly now reaches out to learners in the workplace who would not access higher skills and related qualifications by any other means. 5

Foundation degrees Employer led Integrate academic and work based learning Delivered to meet the needs of the employer and employee Provides access to HE for work based employee / students 6

Professional qualifications How do Foundation degrees fit with other qualifications? Level 7 CPD Professional qualifications Postgraduate degrees Honours degree Yr 3 Yr 2 Yr 1 Level 6 Foundation degree Level 5 Level 4 Position – Spans (integrates) traditional vocational and academic routes Fills the skills gap at intermediate level Progression into Progression from Level 3 NVQ3 Advanced Apprenticeship Advanced Diploma A - level Level 2 NVQ2 Apprenticeship Intermediate Diploma GCSE A*-C Level 1 NVQ1 Young Apprenticeship Foundation Diploma GCSE D-G

Fd provides clear choice Traditional campus based, subject led higher education OR Work based, career led higher education Both are equally valid - this is not a polarising agenda but one of providing appropriate opportunities for different communities of learners

Sarah “…education would lead to life changing outcomes.” “..I hoped that I could be an example to my children. To show them that if I could do it then so could they.” “..has prepared me for the next stage of my life by starting me a journey to first recognise and realise my own potential, and then develop the skills to achieve it.”

“I feel sure that the degree will improve my career prospects and open up new opportunities. I used to suffer from a lack of confidence – I feel that the course has now given me much more confidence in my abilities and I take on new challenges with a more ‘can do’ attitude.” Kathy Coveney, Tesco Compliance Manager 10

National growth in Foundation degree student numbers

HEIs and FECs in England involved with Fd provision Academic year % of Pre-92 HEIs % of Post-92 HEIs % of FECs 2001-02 26% 46% 12% 2002-03 25% 57% 22% 2003-04 71% 41% 2004-05 38% 80% 65% 2005-06 44% 85% 68% Source: Foundation degrees: key statistics 2001-02 to 2007-08 (HEFCE 2008), Table 3 12

Sectoral profile of Fd provision

Type of institution delivering Fd courses

Who teaches Foundation degree students?

Underpinning fdf strategies In depth analysis of employers needs National Fd Framework Specifications Characterising work based learning by sector and setting Developing employer led consortia Establishing networks of specialist providers Accreditation of employer based training Developing blended learning solutions Redesigning the curriculum to support progression from and in the workplace Information Advice and Guidance Reaching the SME business community ICT consortia Programme specifications Understanding those learning outcomes that are best developed in the work place and in the classroom or both. ICT, Retail, Travel, Utilities, Health, Care, Bio-pharma, - Role of SSCs Fostering collaboration between institutions EBTA Blended learning versus distance learning Don’t make apprentices fit the University curriculum – change the curriculum to meet apprentices needs Paucity of balanced IAG and the strength of University marketing departments 16

Employer led consortia ICT and Telecoms Retail Travel and Tourism Utilities Bio-pharmacy Aircraft Maintenance

Characteristics of employer led consortia Recognised business need Commitment from HE providers Existing solutions not fit for purpose Look beyond self interest Organisational and individual capacity Leadership and ambition Not wedded to historical practice Pragmatic and solutions driven Looking to meet current and future needs

Employer Based Training Accreditation – The ebta service Fully captures higher level workplace training Provides HE credits and / or incorporation into an HE award Delivered via highly skilled facilitators 119 engagements with employers Provides a methodology for institutions Community of practice (30+ institutions)

Booths ‘By formally recognising the knowledge that our managers already had…, underpinning their knowledge with formal learning, comparing Booths’ business practices with other retailers and considering current industry initiatives our aim was to increase the awareness, motivation and confidence of our managers’. Therese Edmunds – Training Manager

Booths ‘The accreditation process in which fdf and EBTA have played a significantly supportive and guiding role has added value to Booths’ existing programmes as well as providing a route onto the Fd, blending different learning philosophies and building on existing processes and structures in a highly cost effective manner.’ Therese Edmunds – Training Manager

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Jobs of the Future It is clear that as a knowledge economy, the UK will increasingly compete based on the commercial value of its ideas and the higher-level skills of its people As key drivers of social mobility, education, skills and lifelong learning give people the tools they need to progress Source Jobs of the Future, Cabinet Office, Sept 09

What next For individuals, skills are the currency from the economies of the past to the economies of the future How do we stimulate and then respond to demand from individuals to raise their skills? What is the role for Universities and Colleges?

Non-participation in higher education 1 No single agency has the widening of participation in HE across the life course as its core mission There is untapped need for professional information, advice and guidance for adults across the life course The 'potentially recruitable' usually see little need to participate in HE The potential benefits of HE need to be made more apparent to this group

Non-participation in higher education 2 HE experiences within social networks shape the perceptions of 'potentially recruitable' adults across and within generations Identification with 'people like me' in HE in terms of education, social and employment background influences decision-making across and within generations

Non-participation in higher education 3 There is an appetite for high quality, work-based and employer-supported provision, and for recognised qualifications that offer adults tangible returns Fuller et al. (2008) Non-Participation in higher education. TLRP If more employers were to make this sort of provision available, the latent employee demand (6 Million adults with Level 3 qualifications) could be released

Director of Employer Partnerships Charles Pickford Director of Employer Partnerships c.pickford@fdf.ac.uk www.fdf.ac.uk