We also have the usual details about other upcoming events for your diaries and some recent topical news articles - notwithstanding those mentioned above.
If we have made a glaring omission, please get in touch using the details below.
Jamie
Dr Jamie Mackay | FACE webmaster and e-Bulletin editor | Email: [email protected]
FACE | Forum for Access and Continuing Education | www.f.a-c-e.org.uk
www.facebook.com/faceconference | www.twitter.com/faceconference |
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The recent FACE Executive meeting, which took place on 23 February, was pleased to welcome Paul Rasch from BIS as the speaker for the briefing section of the meeting. Paul is Team Leader of the Access, Quality and Governance Unit at BIS. As well as hearing from Paul, the meeting was also an opportunity for the Executive to share views with Paul on a range of issues of interest and concern to FACE members and their institutions.
The next FACE Executive meeting will take place 11am - 2pm on Monday 11 May at the UCL Institute of Education. All members are welcome to attend FACE Executive Meetings and we are keen to encourage new members to get as fully involved as possible. |
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Social Mobility and Widening Access to Higher Education in Scotland: Policy, Practice and Research
15 May 2015 | University of Strathclyde |
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As colleagues know, the University of Strathclyde will be hosting the second national conference on social mobility and higher education in Scotland. This day-long conference is being organised in partnership with the Forum for Access and Continuing Education (FACE), the FOCUS West Programme and the Equality Challenge Unit. It will continue discussions about the future of widening access in post-referendum Scotland by examining policy, practice and research.
The one day event will feature keynotes from Angela Constance, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Jim Murphy, MP and Dr Edward Sosu, one of the authors of the report ‘Closing the attainment gap in Scottish education’. It will also feature a mix of presentations, workshops and panel sessions - Indeed FACE Chair, Professor John Storan, will be chairing a panel session.
Attendance costs £30 per delegate and the online booking page can be found here.
For more information, or to discuss sponsorship opportunities or suggestions for the conference, please get in touch with: Dr Stephanie Mckendry, Widening Access Manager, University of Strathclyde via email: [email protected] or telephone: +44 (0) 141 548 2208.
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| FACE 2015 Annual Conference | Update |
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CONFERENCE UPDATE:
- The call for papers is still open, although you need to be quick: The deadline is tomorrow: Wednesday 1 April.
- As teased in the introduction, FACE is once again proud to be able to offer a free sponsored place to someone who has been working in the areas of access or widening participation for less than two years. Further details and the application form can be found here. The deadine for receipt of applications is 5pm, Friday 22 May 2015.
- Every year, FACE is proud to support a local charity to the Conference hosts and 2015 is no different. Earlier this month the Conference Team announced that the charity this year will be Meic cymru. We look forward to raising money for them which will no doubt benefit young people in and around South Wales.
Just to confirm, the CPD-certified FACE 2015 Conference, to be held at the University of South Wales, 1 – 3 July 2015. Entitled ‘Closing the Gap: Bridges for Access and Lifelong Learning’, the conference will be based on the following themes:
1. Crossing boundaries through partnership working.
2. Routes out of poverty through lifelong learning.
3. Learning journeys and careers.
4. Lifelong learning for local, regional and national developments.
5. Part-time and full-time learning.
The six key note speakers (all confirmed) will include:
- Dr. John Butcher - John currently works at The Open University and is responsible for the development, enhancement and implementation of the university’s UK-wide Access provision.
- Cerys Furlong - Cerys joined The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) in January 2014 as Director for Wales, from the Open University where she was Assistant Director (External Strategy). She has worked in the post-16 education and skills sector in Wales for over ten years.
- Nick Davy - Nick was appointed as the Association of College’s HE Policy Manager in January 2011 and specialises in all issues relating to HE and HE in FE. His current role involves representing the interests of Colleges and learners to Government Departments and other stakeholders, assessing the likely impact of policy initiatives on the FE sector and informing and influencing policy development.
- Sarah Howls - As Head of Student Opportunity at the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), Sarah leads on its policy for widening participation. Sarah has played a significant role in the development of the national strategy for access and student success, the development and implementation of the National Scholarship Programme and continues to actively manage HEFCE’s policy.
- Neil Surman - joined the Civil Service from university in 1988 and is currently Head of the Higher Education Division of the Welsh Government with responsibility for HE policy and funding and post-16 student finance.
 For further information | Web: http://face2015.org/ | Email: [email protected] | Telephone: 01443 482002.
The FACE 2015 Conference Team look forward to welcoming you to Wales later this year!
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| How can we stimulate technical and professional education in England? |
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The case from the Association of Colleges (AoC)
“…we need to trust FE institutions more. In overseas vocational systems, colleges have the power, like UK universities, to devise their own programmes and award their own qualifications. We need colleges with the power to decide what to teach and how.”[1]
In Breaking the Mould[2], AoC argued that universities’ virtual monopoly of validating and awarding higher education (HE) qualifications and a funding system that incentivises institutions to develop three or four-year full-time academic honours degree programmes has led to a growth in this type of provision, at the expense of less costly, and potentially more appropriate, technical and professional qualification alternatives.
Labour market challenges over the next twenty years demand that the tertiary education system produces more technically qualified diplomats and up-skill those presently in employment. This adjustment is required to replace ageing workers in level four and five occupation’s, meet the demands of the growth in higher skilled occupations and an ageing population; and sustain the growth ambitions of successful sectors such as the creative industries and pharmaceuticals. Many of these replacement and new job roles require technical and professional knowledge and skills at levels three to five, that do not necessitate a full honours degree – or the student experience and boarding school model associated with English higher education.
The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) describes trends in the UK labour market as the decline of the ‘traditional middle’: a decrease in clerical, secretarial and skilled and semi-skied blue collar jobs; and increases in management, professional, higher technician and jobs in care and leisure, including sales[3]. There is also increasing evidence that many routine jobs carried out by lawyers and engineers are being out-sourced to lower waged economies or being replaced by technology.
Additionally, in many areas the English economy is still stuck in ‘the low skills equilibrium’[4] highlighted in the 1980s, and in many locations where there is strong college HE provision. And the economy is not producing enough well paid and secure jobs leading to insecurity, anxiety and considerable wage inequality; and mounting evidence of a mismatch between the skills people have and the skills employers want[5].
These statistics indicate that England will need some significant changes to its higher education system if it is to meet these challenges and educate and train a workforce that will meet the skills and productivity demands of the mid-21st century. In our view these include:
- An increase in the supply of higher skills in identified growth sectors and those occupations with a significant replacement need;
- Greater employer involvement in curriculum, assessment and programme design to ensure technical and professional HE qualifications are fit-for-purpose;
- More short-cycle HE qualifications of six months to two years duration;
- Improved technical learning and teaching techniques, including a ‘clear line of sight to work’ as argued by the Commission on Adult Vocational Teaching and Learning (CAVTL);
- Quicker validation and award processes more attuned to the needs of fast moving industries;
- A different external quality assurance system for technical and professional education, with more – or a different - involvement from employers and professional associations;
- Technical reforms of higher apprenticeships such as a unified loan scheme to make access easier and a mechanism to convert standards to appropriate qualifications;
And a fairer tertiary learner support system that includes education accounts for all adult learners. It is the time to address the present iniquity that favours university education over other forms of tertiary education and create a coherent and accessible lifelong learning culture for all and not the minority.
There is a now a considerable research and evidence base that England has a weak technical and professional education system in comparison to many OECD countries. And that the present young HE participation rate needs to increase and more employees re-skilled if the country is to create a more highly skilled workforce and move away from the low skills equilibrium that blights many communities and towns. Evidence from OECD, the history of Higher Education (HE) and funding incentives in England confirms that in general most universities are unsuited or uninterested in developing short cycle technical and professional education at levels and durations below honours degree. There is recent evidence that many universities are now exiting the short cycle - foundation degree - market.
However, the present technical and professional education ‘system’ is under-developed leading to a plethora of agencies involved in its leadership, governance, funding, external quality assurance and, until recently, weak employer involvement. Too many agencies exist in the space between providers and employers; and providers are over-regulated with limited autonomy to develop new awards in comparison to universities. Recent analysis indicates a serious decline in enrolments on level three courses at colleges; and a continuing decline in part time level five courses across universities and colleges.
There is a need for a new organisation that can re-organise validation processes and promote this form of education. Present validation and award processes exist that work and have credibility with major stakeholders. These need to be adapted and adopted to create the infrastructure in which professional and technical education can flourish. The experience of England’s world-leading university sector with autonomous institutions and robust awarding powers indicates the way forward.
In response to these challenges, we believe there is a case for some structural changes in present HE validation and awarding arrangements:
- The creation of a Technical Education Accreditation Council to authorise colleges and others who want to award technical and professional qualifications at Levels 3, 4 and 5
- The inclusion of employer-endorsed higher apprenticeship qualifications, based on the trailblazer standards, within the remit of such a Council
- To significantly improve the English technical and professional education offer and increase those accessing higher level study.
We believe the creation of a new validation and accreditation model is crucial if we are to meet the ‘technical education challenge’, increase HE participation, especially amongst young men, and better meet the skills needs of the future labour market. We need to move away from an exclusive ‘academic model’ of validation and accreditation based on the three-year full-time degree and seek different methods and processes.
Technical education providers would be accredited by a new Technical Education Accreditation Council to make their own awards in partnership with employers. A system of regulated and differentiated price caps – a step further than the present HE market - would avoid the risks associated with cream-skimming; and careful institutional financial monitoring would address the issue of moral hazard. And the whole underpinned by a fairer tertiary learner support system that included education accounts for all adult learners.
For certain, the only organisations with the focus on local employers and communities are colleges, locally-facing universities and training providers. These are the only organisations that provide the local infrastructure and as importantly retain the local community mission to make a new technical education system work at local level.
This would mean the proposed growth in tertiary education over the next twenty years would concentrate on this type of provision, and develop a credible and high quality technical and professional education sector that would help meet the aspiration of 50% of school leavers experiencing some form of higher education.
There is now a clear consensus amongst the social partners and educationalists, backed up by evidence, for the need to develop England’s technical and professional education provision. BIS recently published consultation, a dual mandate for adult vocational education, is a step forward in this debate.
AoC urge the next government to respond to this challenge.
Nick Davy | HE Policy Manager, Association of Colleges
References:
[1] Speech by Rt. Hon. Vince Cable, MP Cambridge Public Policy lecture 24 April 2014, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
[2] The Association of Colleges (AoC) (2014) Breaking the Mould Creating higher education fit for the future. London. AoC publishing
[3] UKCES (2014), Working Futures 2012-2022 Evidence report 83 London, UK Commission for Employment and Skills.
[4] Finegold D. and Soskice D. (1988) ‘The failure of training in Britain’, Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 4: 3, 21-53.
[5] Sweeney E (2014) Making work better: an agenda for government: an independent inquiry into the world of work, London, Smith Institute
For a more detailed exposition of this piece go to: http://www.aoc.co.uk/term/college-higher-education
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 The Editors of Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning are welcoming new contributions to the journal:
- Articles drawing on empirical research, contextualised within current national and international policy debate, which develop the theoretical base of the field or report on significant research projects
- Innovative Practice critical evaluations, which provide a forum for practitioners and researchers to share and discuss specific projects that are either in progress or have been completed.
- Research methods articles, selected for their contribution to the analysis and development of research methodology in the fields of widening participation and lifelong learning.
- Research notes and updates which provide an opportunity to present interim and final research findings in a quick and accessible way to inform practitioners and researchers in the widening participation and lifelong learning fields.
- Reviews of important new publications.
For further details: http://www.open.ac.uk/wpll-journal
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Get involved with DISCUSS
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We invite colleagues to participate in DISCUSS, the European Platform for Communities of Practice in Lifelong Learning. DISCUSS seeks to do the following:
- develop a state-of-the-art platform for communities of practice in lifelong learning, helping to foster dialogue and exchange between beneficiaries and users of the Lifelong Learning Program of the European Union
- bring together project actors, experts, stakeholders, decision makers and end users in a collaborative environment
We would like to invite FACE members to join this community, which can be found through this link. Here they can share project results, ideas and expertise with researchers, practitioners and other stakeholders in the field of lifelong learning across Europe and beyond in an interactive fashion using a variety of tools.
DISCUSS is encouraging communities of practice to be developed within a range of domains, and currently is inviting contributions in the following areas:
We very much welcome participation in what we think will be a very useful means of international exchange.
Professor Mike Osborne | FACE Representative for Scotland
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| For details of FACE events and others that might also be of interest, you can also go on the FACE Seminars and Events page. If your event isn't listed, get in contact! |
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Helping Student Carers Access and Succeed in Higher Education | Friday 24 April, 2015, The University of Winchester
Carers Trust, in partnership with The University of Winchester and The National Network of Universities Supporting Young Adult Carers, would like to invite you to the ‘Helping student carers access and succeed in Higher Education’ event taking place on Friday 24 April from 10 am - 4 pm at The University of Winchester.
There are approximately 375,000 young adult carers in the UK aged 14-25, who are providing unpaid support and assistance to family and friends who have an illness or disability, mental health condition or who misuse drugs or alcohol. For a young person who has caring responsibilities, trying to transition to, through and beyond university, can be extremely challenging and for some a barrier.
Carers Trust and The National Network of Universities have developed the resource ‘Supporting students with caring responsibilities: Ideas and practice for universities to help student carers access and succeed in Higher Education’. Drawing on this resource, this event will highlight the challenges that student carers face and provide practical examples of what you can do to support them through the student lifecycle - from outreach, through to applications and admissions and student support.
Young adult carers will also be there to discuss first-hand their experiences and what changes they would like to see. Further details: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/
Social Mobility and Widening Access to Higher Education in Scotland: Policy, Practice and Research | Friday 15 May, 2015, Strathclyde University, Glasgow, Scotland
Following the success of last year’s national summit conference at the University of Glasgow, the University of Strathclyde will be hosting the second national conference on social mobility and higher education. This day-long conference is being organised in partnership with the Forum for Access and Continuing Education (FACE), the FOCUS West Programme and the Equality Challenge Unit. It will continue discussions about the future of widening access in post-referendum Scotland by examining policy, practice and research.
Registration is now available here: http://onlineshop.strath.ac.uk/ Further details: http://www.strath.ac.uk/
AoC, Action on Access and NIACE present College Higher Education – Widening Participation and Access | Tuesday 19 May, 2015, The Studio, Birmingham
One of the major aims of college HE provision is to increase access and widening participation to HE. Circa 15% of college HE income comes from the HEFCE Student Opportunity Grant (SOG) – which is under threat as reductions are sought in government HE expenditure. The college HE sector needs to better capture of how the grant is spent and its impact on outreach activities and retention strategies. This Conference aims to improve: planning, evaluating, improving outreach, exploring partnership, promoting success and networking within the college HE access and widening participation community. Further details: http://www.niace.org.uk/
Developing the higher level vocational education system and the next steps for Higher Apprenticeships | Thursday 21 May, 2015, Central London
This conference will provide a timely opportunity to discuss the future for higher level vocational education in England. It follows the Government’s call for engagement in the creation of elite National Colleges, intended to help the development of high level technical skills in those industries or sectors where there is an identified skills gap. Delegates will examine key challenges for creating these colleges and the steps that can be taken to encourage further engagement from employers in the development of their workforce’s skills. Further details: http://www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk/
1st AoC Research and Scholarship Conference: The Secret Garden | Wednesday 24 June, 2015, London.
An update on the AoC Scholarship HEFCE Catalyst Fund project - formally launched at the Annual Conference. Call for abstracts - deadline of 5 June 2015. Themes include: College HE and Skills Policy; Teaching and learning in a college context; Understanding local labour markets; Developing the technical and professional curriculum; Developing staff/models of scholarship; Co-learning with students. Input welcomed on the content and structure of the programme - please contact Nick Davy. Further details: http://www.aoc-create.co.uk/
FACE 2015 Annual Conference - Closing the Gap: Bridges for Access and Lifelong Learning | Wednesday 1 - Friday 3 July, 2015, University of South Wales, Treforest campus.
Preparation is now well underway for the FACE 2015 Conference. The annual conference provides a platform for FACE members, non members and students to participate in plenary sessions and workshops, with an opportunity to network with like-minded colleagues in a friendly and professional environment. The conference will be based on the following themes:
- Crossing boundaries through partnership working
- Routes out of poverty through lifelong learning
- Learning journeys and careers
- Lifelong learning for local, regional and national developments
- Part-time and full-time learning.
Three key note speakers have already been announced and the call for papers is now open. The 2015 conference won’t disappoint! We look forward to welcoming you to Wales next year. Further details: http://face2015.org/
PASCAL Observatory Annual Conference - Connecting cities and universities at strategic frontiers | 7 - 9 October, 2015, Catania, Italy.
The 12th PASCAL conference will be hosted by one of Italy’s leading institutions, the University of Catania in the beautiful island of Sicily. The theme of the conference concerns how cities and their regions are connected to their universities at strategic frontiers. These include knowledge and political frontiers, and each is linked to global challenges that include employment, migration, health, food security, culture and climate change.
It is appropriate that the conference is taking place in Sicily, hosted by the University of Catania and supported by the city of Catania, at one frontier of Europe, where issues of migration and job security during a time of global economic decline are at the forefront of local thinking. Southern Italy exemplifies new challenges and fault-lines confronting Europe. Austerity and immigration, political, ideological-religious-cultural, economic, social and other strategic issues intensify and interweave.
Conference strands include:
- Creating and securing jobs for regions
- The challenges of migration and multi-cultural societies
- Engaging communities with universities
- Sustainable and healthy city development
- Cultural engagement
In addition to the conference, delegates will be able to enjoy many of the attractions of the island, including Mount Etna and the city of Syracuse.
Further details: http://conference.pascalobservatory.org |
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| Recent online news digest |
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Excellence v equity | The American model of higher education is spreading. It is good at producing excellence, but needs to get better at providing access to decent education at a reasonable cost... The average performance of America’s graduates, compared with those of other countries, is low and slipping. Higher education does not increase social mobility but reinforces existing barriers. At the same time costs have nearly doubled in real terms in the past 20 years. The enrolment rate is falling. Technology offers the promise of making education both cheaper and more effective, but universities resist adopting it. Further details: http://www.economist.com/
Changes to the UCAS Tariff – SPA considerations for HE admissions | The 2017 admissions cycle will see a significant change to the UCAS Tariff. At a basic level, this will involve a new set of Tariff values for all Tariffed qualifications; at a more fundamental level, it introduces a wholly new methodology for allocating Tariff points to individual qualifications. UCAS has developed a suite of resources to support the Tariff implementation – these are available in the Providers section of the UCAS website (login required).
SPA encourages all HE providers – whether a ‘Tariff-using’ institution or not – to take time to understand how the UCAS Tariff has changed and what the potential impacts are for recruitment, selection and admissions activities. The SPA considerations are not intended as a comprehensive, worked-through action plan, but rather as a collection of prompts for thought and reflective questions. Further details: http://www.spa.ac.uk/
Student Opportunity funding decision welcomed by OFFA | The Higher Education Funding Council for England’s (HEFCE’s) decision to maintain Student Opportunity funding for widening participation in academic year 2015-16, and increase its support for disabled students, is very welcome, the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) said on Thursday 26 March 2015. Professor Les Ebdon, Director of Fair Access to Higher Education, commented: “I am very pleased that HEFCE has maintained Student Opportunity funding, which is higher education’s equivalent of the Pupil Premium and works in tandem with access agreements to enable universities and colleges to improve access and support for people from under-represented groups.
“Student Opportunity funding and access agreements are both essential to achieving the aims of HEFCE and OFFA’s joint national strategy for access and student success and delivering the continued improvement that the Government expects to see.
“The £5 million increase in the allocation to support disabled students is particularly welcome, because this will help higher education providers ensure their courses continue to be accessible for disabled people.” |
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This is the monthly e-Bulletin from FACE (the Forum for Access and Continuing Education), offered to practitioners, policy-makers, researchers and others with an interest in access, widening participation and lifelong learning. The e-Bulletin is sent to colleagues in the sector; members and non-members alike. If you would prefer not to receive it, please contact Jamie Mackay and your details will be removed from the circulation list.
If you wish to respond to anything in this e-Bulletin or make a contribution to future issues – particularly news and events - please also contact Jamie Mackay. |
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