Can going 'further' take you 'higher'?

1. Can going 'further' take you 'higher'? Exploring labour market transitions for higher education graduates from further education colleges Jennifer Allen, MSc PRS Student, Department of Education University of Oxford jennifer.allen@education.ox.ac.uk

2. Location of HE in FE Higher education at universities Higher education at further education colleges Further education at further education colleges

3. The key question Can going further take you higher? or Does the location of higher education matter?

4. The future of FE

5. What are ‘high level skills’? ‘High level’ or ‘higher level’ skills are ‘the skills associated with higher education’ which graduates are presumed to possess (DIUS, 2008: 6).

6. FE as an HE provider ‘Our reforms are designed to deliver a more responsive higher education sector in which funding follows the decisions of learners…in which further education colleges…are encouraged to offer a diverse range of higher education provision’ (GBDBIS, 2011: 8).

7. The Four D’s Development Definition Data Direction

8. The Four D’s Development Definition Data Direction

9. History of HE in FE

10. Separation of HE and FE ‘The[se] arrangements…assumed nevertheless that HE and FE stood for different levels of learning and, for this main reason, should be provided by separate types of organisation’ (Parry, 2009: 332).

11. The Four D’s Development Definition Data Direction

12. Definition by qualification level Foundation Degrees Higher National Diplomas Higher National Certificates

13. Definition by philosophy ‘…the idea that there is something special about higher education that marks it neatly off from further education is still strong’ (White, 2009: 13).

14. The Four D’s Development Definition Data Direction

15. Lack of data 2005 Foster Review committee was ‘dismayed, repeatedly hampered by [their] task’ due to ‘the absence of sound, up to date and simple information’ about FE (4-5).

16. Data by institution type Data from HEFCE (2011)

17. Data by student numbers Data from Rashid et al. (2011)

18. The Four D’s Development Definition Data Direction

19. FE as the Hydra ‘FE is like the dreaded Hydra; so vigorous and resilient is it that no sooner do you cut off its head than another grows in its place’ (Bristow, 1976: 146).

20. What is FE’s focus? Students at the heart of the HE system? or Students at the heart of the FE and skills system?

21. The Four D’s Development: HE and FE were split despite overlap Definition: What exactly is HE in FE? Data: ‘Substantial yet marginal’ (Scott, 2009) Direction: Lack of HE mission

22. Research aim To compare the motivations, employment expectations, and employment outcomes of higher education students from different types of institutions.

23. Location of HE in FE Higher education at universities Higher education at further education colleges Further education at further education colleges

24. Research questions Why are students pursuing HE? Why are students pursuing HE at their chosen institution? How do the actual destinations of HE graduates compare with their own expectations? How do the destinations of HE graduates compare between universities and FECs?

25. Methodology

26. Methodology Interviews (with experts and students) Questionnaire Destination of Leavers from Higher Education survey

27. References Bristow, A. (1976) Inside the Colleges of Further Education. 2nd ed., London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Committee on Higher Education (1963) Higher education: report of the Committee appointed by the Prime Minister under the Chairmanship of Lord Robbins 1961-63, Cmnd. 2154, London: HMSO. Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (2008). Higher education at work, High skills: High value. [Online] Available from <http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/tna/+/http://www.dius.gov.uk/consultations/documents/Higher_Education_at_Work.pdf/> [Accessed 7 January 2011] Foster, Sir Andrew (2005) Realising the potential: A review of the future role of further education colleges. Overview. Annesley: DfES Publications. Great Britain (1988) Education Reform Act 1988. London: The Stationery Office. Great Britain (1992) Further and Higher Education Act 1992. London: The Stationery Office.

28. References Great Britain, Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (2011) Students at the Heart of the System. London: The Stationery Office. Hayes, J. (2011) Vision for Further Education. [Online] Available from: http://www.bis.gov.uk/news/speeches/john-hayes-vision-for-further-education> [Accessed 2 February 2012] Higher Education Funding Council for England (2011) Recurrent grants for 2011-12. Bristol: HEFCE. Parry, G. (2009) Higher Education, Further Education and the English Experiment. Higher Education Quarterly, 63 (4), pp. 322-342. Rashid, S., Parry, G., Thompson, A. and Brooks, G. (2011) Patterns of Further and Higher Education in Colleges and Universities in England: A Statistical Summary and Technical Commentary. Report for HEFCE March 2011. Sheffield: University of Sheffield. Scott, P. (2009) On the Margins or Moving into the Mainstream? HigherEducation in Further Education in England. Higher Education Quarterly, 63 (4), pp. 402-418. White, John (2009) Further and Higher: A Philosophical Divide? In N. Garrod and B. Macfarlane (eds.), Challenging Boundaries: Managing the Integration of Post-Secondary Education. Abingdon: Routledge.