Further Education Context Lecture 5: Widening Access to Further and Higher Education

Introduction  Why widening access is central to current policy objectives in post-compulsory education and training  The development of policy  What kinds of policies have been implemented

Historical Context  Access has a long history  The lecture focuses on the last 15 years  This has been a period of expansion and structural change in FE and HE  FE has had an increasingly high profile during this period

Factors Driving Widening Access  Industrial and sectoral changes and restructuring  The imperative to create a ‘learning society’  An ideological commitment to ‘social inclusion’

Changing Nature of Institutional Form  Incorporation of colleges  Creation of new universities  Increased competition  Expansion and increasing access  Greater diversity  Openness to change

A Learning Society  Strengthen the economy  Increase employability  An inclusive and cohesive society

Social Inclusion  Address the problem of exclusion  A recurrent theme in current policy  Not a coherent or fixed political position  Replaces social equality  Used interchangeably with widening access

Teaching and Learning Towards A Learning Society 1997  The impact on the population of the information society (and the consequent need to train people in new skills)  The impact of globalisation (nations could not allow their workforce skills to fall behind others)  The impact of technical and scientific advance (greater complexity means better educated citizens are needed)

Meeting the challenges  Build employability  Invest in training  Combat social exclusion  Move away from academic vocational divide

The White Paper and Lifelong Learning  Established key policy themes  Mainly concerned with economic imperatives  An agenda to cope with economic change and/or an agenda concerned with inclusion?

Scottish Policy  Two main phases  Before and after devolution

Phase 1 Papers  Opportunity Scotland (1998)  Opportunities and Choices (1999)  Opportunity For Everyone (1999)

Opportunity For Everyone  [Access] requires colleges to offer a wide range of types and points of access, according to local circumstances and needs. Throughout Scotland there should be a network of colleges and associated facilities: outreach provision, open and distance learning schemes, flexible learning, workplace or home-based learning, community- based learning, joint provision by schools and colleges and by colleges and employers, community-based provision and other forms of supported independent learning.

Other developments  Creation of SFEFC in 1998  Creation of regional fora for widening access  Greater inter-institutional collaboration

Key themes in policy documents  Global competition  Technological change  Individual responsibility for learning  Employability  Upgrading skills  Flexibility and access

Lifelong Learning Papers UK  Opportunity Scotland  The Learning Age  Learning is for Everyone

Opportunity for Everyone  1. Launch of SUFI.  1. Launch of SUFI.  2. Develop The National Grid for Learning.  3. £100m invested to fund additional 42,000 HE and FE student places.  4. National system of individual learning accounts (100,000 Scottish account holders).  5. Development of University of the Highlands & Islands with Government support.

Opportunity for Everyone  6. New Deal and New Futures to benefit 150,000 people.  7. 15,000 Modern Apprenticeships in Scotland.  8. All 16 & 17 year olds in employment will have right to study for a level 2 qualification.  9. Higher Still introduced and a Scottish credit and qualifications framework developed.  10. New strategic framework for FE to promote inter college co-operation.

The Learning Age  Expand further and higher education to provide for an extra 500,000 places  Launch UFI in late 1999  Individual Learning Accounts (allocating £150m to 1m accounts)  Invest in young people so that they will study beyond 16

The Learning Age Double numbers of adults helped with basic literacy and numeracy skills Double numbers of adults helped with basic literacy and numeracy skills Widen participation Widen participation Raise standards in teaching and learning Raise standards in teaching and learning Set and publish targets Set and publish targets Work with business, employees and trade unions Work with business, employees and trade unions Build qualification framework Build qualification framework

Learning is for Everyone Better education and training and lifelong learning opportunities for all Better education and training and lifelong learning opportunities for all Policies will be designed to benefit the many not the few Policies will be designed to benefit the many not the few Standards, results and outcomes matter more than structures Standards, results and outcomes matter more than structures Intervention will be in inverse proportion to success Intervention will be in inverse proportion to success We shall value high standards and success for our communities We shall value high standards and success for our communities The Welsh Office will work in partnership with all those committed to lifelong learning The Welsh Office will work in partnership with all those committed to lifelong learning

Institutional Activity  Access courses  Summer Schools  School-FE-HE links  FE-HE links  Work based access  Community based access  Flexible delivery

Types of Access Initiative  In-reach provision (for example discrete courses such as summer schools)  Out-reach provision (e.g. community based learning)  Flexible provision (open learning, modularisation of curriculum)

2nd Policy Phase Papers  Independent Committee of Enquiry into Student Finance (Independent Enquiry into Student Finance, 2000)  Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee Enquiry into Lifelong Learning (ELLC, 2002).  Review of Higher Education (Scottish Executive, 2003)  Life Through Learning Through Life (Scottish Executive, 2003)

Scotland: a learning nation  Targeting resources on under-represented groups in further and higher education  Flexible support for students in order to accommodate change  Assistance for disadvantaged groups so that education is accessible to all

Scotland: a learning nation  Childcare support (£8 million) for FE students  Means tested bursaries (claimed to aid 30% of students by the Scottish Executive)  £10 million to support mature students  Abolition of tuition fees  Extra £750 per head for students from poor backgrounds

Other Developments  New credit framework SCQF  Greater integration of the post compulsory system  Greater diversity

Joint Funding Council Plan  the importance of accessibility  the increasing complexity of patterns of participation  the importance of the transferability of credit  the important role for FE in teaching literacy, numeracy and English as a second language  effective bridging between FE and HE  the need to embed Education Maintenance Allowances within policies

Discussion  A catalyst for change?  The end of elitism?  New patterns of inequality?  Dumbing down?  Too economistic?

Morgan-Klein, B (2003) Scottish Higher Education and the FE-HE Nexus Higher Education Quarterly 57:4