Higher education policy in Scotland and the implications for part-time study
The Scottish Government have initiated a major reform of post-16 education with a stated aim of increased flexibility for learners, including more part-time provision. The Open University is the largest provider of part-time higher education (HE) in Scotland and evidence gathered from students who have studied in the college sector suggests that part-time learners value the flexibility of part-time study that allows them to repeat study at the same level or start at a lower level or change subject from previous study. This paper explores the policy changes being made and questions if this flexibility will be maintained for part-time learners in a climate of efficiency savings in HE provision? Will adequate opportunities be made available for them? Will further incentives be put in place to encourage more part-time learning?
Higher education in Scotland's colleges: opening up routes to a degree
The Scottish Funding Council’s (SFC) strategy for widening participation, Learning for All, first published in 2005, acknowledges the contribution of Scotland’s colleges in widening the social base of higher education (HE) study in Scotland. At the time the strategy was published, just under a quarter of all HE students were located in the colleges. This proportion is falling but it remains the case that, in contrast to the university sector, the population of HE students in the colleges is skewed towards the most deprived quintile of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD). Improving the opportunities for these students to move on to degree study is therefore an important component of SFC widening participation policy. The implications of the fact that the fall in HE participation in the colleges is greatest among part-time students are discussed in this paper. Data from surveys of Open University (OU) in Scotland students who had previously studied at HE level in a college are used to provide some insight into the issues of part-time progression. In particular we look at issues of transition between sectors for part-time students and the intersection of policy discourses concerned with access, inclusion and skills utilisation.
A comparative study of work‐based learning within Higher Nationals in Scotland and Foundation Degrees in England: contrast, complexity, continuity
Scotland and England now have systems of work‐related higher education which differ from each other in important respects. While Scotland embarks on a process of modernising its existing system of Higher National Certificates and Diplomas, in England there has been a decisive shift away from this form of provision towards Foundation Degrees. Meanwhile, providers in both countries are being encouraged to engage ever more closely with employers. This article draws on empirical work with programme organisers to explore the nature and extent of work‐based and work‐related learning that can be found within these two systems. Despite the contrasting national structures, we identify considerable continuity between practices in the two countries and also considerable variability in the forms of work‐based or work‐related learning which can be found within each of them. This variability emerges as a pragmatic response to the difficulties of engaging employers with these programmes, and could we suggest results in valuable learning experiences for students.