tag:theconversation.com,2011:/uk/topics/further-education-11508/articlesFurther education – The Conversation2023-05-15T15:43:18Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2044152023-05-15T15:43:18Z2023-05-15T15:43:18ZEsol English classes are crucial for migrant integration, yet challenges remain unaddressed<p><em>You can also read this article <a href="https://theconversation.com/esol-pwysigrwydd-dosbarthiadau-saesneg-i-ymfudwyr-ar-heriau-iw-datrys-205783">in Welsh</a>.</em> </p>
<p>In the year ending September 2022, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-december-2022/summary-of-latest-statistics">more than 70,000 people</a> had claimed asylum in the UK. The vast majority were from countries that do not use English as a first language. </p>
<p>Being able to communicate in English is essential for newly arrived migrants. People who have gone through traumatic experiences are, understandably, often desperate to build new lives. They want to use the skills and knowledge they have to access work and education. To do that, they have to navigate the health, social security, housing and education systems. </p>
<p>Language is the single most important area that can promote integration for migrants. My research has shown that <a href="https://www.academia.edu/44971642/Exploring_ESOL_Teacher_Working_Conditions_and_Professional_Development_In_England_And_Wales">language teachers</a> are uniquely placed to positively affect the lives of people in these situations. </p>
<p>In fact, the 2016 <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-casey-review-a-review-into-opportunity-and-integration">Casey review</a>, a government-commissioned report on the state of social cohesion in Britain, highlighted that developing fluency in English is critical to integration.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/its-like-youre-a-criminal-but-i-am-not-a-criminal-first-hand-accounts-of-the-trauma-of-being-stuck-in-the-uk-asylum-system-202276">'It’s like you’re a criminal, but I am not a criminal.' First-hand accounts of the trauma of being stuck in the UK asylum system</a>
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<p>Given its importance, refugees and people seeking asylum are often keen to enrol in English for Speakers of Other Languages (Esol) classes. And these classes can provide more than language tuition alone. They are a social space, providing a sense of structure to daily lives, offering both linguistic and psychological support. </p>
<p>But <a href="https://ifs.org.uk/news/plans-will-leave-spending-adult-education-and-apprenticeships-25-below-2010-levels-2025#:%7E:text=Press%20Release-,Plans%20will%20leave%20spending%20on%20adult%20education%20and%20apprenticeships,below%202010%20levels%20by%202025&text=Total%20spending%20on%20adult%20education,as%20compared%20with%202010%E2%80%9311.">cuts to adult education budgets</a> following the change of government in 2010, and the introduction of austerity, mean access to Esol language support is often difficult. There can be long waiting lists and <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2226-471X/4/3/74">too few classes</a> available. </p>
<p>Also, the way adult education is funded in the UK means teachers are obliged to follow an assessment system to measure language competence. That constraint frequently results in classroom time being focused more on passing exams than on developing fluency or bestowing a warm welcome and sense of belonging. </p>
<p>While coping with the demands of building a life in a different country through a new language, many Esol learners are also dealing with the trauma associated with forced displacement. That’s on top of the <a href="https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/lln-2018-0064/">stress involved</a> in navigating an often hostile and complex asylum system. </p>
<p>Such challenges mean Esol teachers can be a vital bridge to the new society. And the Esol classroom can be the prime location for getting information and for creating the bonds needed for successful integration. With that in mind, how Esol classes are organised and managed is fundamental to a person’s success in learning English and all the associated opportunities. </p>
<p>However, providing Esol classes, primarily through colleges of further education, is a hugely bureaucratic undertaking. This often results in the potential of Esol classes to promote integration being missed. </p>
<p>One of the reasons is that these classes are funded in the same way as other adult education subjects. Accordingly, teachers must follow a curriculum that provides evidence that learners are progressing. This results in teachers putting their efforts into preparing students for constant tests and assessments. And that leaves little time to address the real-life concerns, needs and interests of their migrant learners. </p>
<p>It also means the opportunities to bring about a sense of belonging are instead replaced with learning about matters such as verb conjugations and the English tense system. </p>
<p>Changes are needed to both the way Esol is funded and organised, and to the way Esol professionals are educated to view the language classroom. </p>
<h2>Solutions</h2>
<p>Removing some of the requirements to produce evidence of learning would shorten teacher administration time. It would also relieve the pressure on students and teachers to be constantly preparing for the next assessment. This would allow more time to focus on discussing issues of relevance to the learners.</p>
<p>There is much support from language experts for viewing Esol from this more human perspective. It is an understanding of the classroom that resonates with educators who have been advocating for a <a href="https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/pub_BC_NEXUS_booklet_web.pdf">participatory pedagogy</a> – which involves more collaboration and decision making among students – for Esol since the turn of the century.</p>
<p>This style of teaching focuses classroom content on the <a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/%22When-I-wake-up-I-dream-of-electricity%22%3A-The-lives%2C-Cooke/a9ad375c87803c59b586b05e3ce5825d4f758d9d">lives of learners</a>. Examples of typical issues that dominate such discussions include the challenge of finding meaningful employment, the effects of trauma, culture shock, separation from family, money worries and finding accommodation.</p>
<p>This means more time is taken up with learners using language to express thoughts, anxieties, hopes and concerns that affect their new lives. And far less time is used by the teacher striving to cover an externally imposed syllabus. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Creative workshops to enhance language acquisition and integration for people seeking sanctuary.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Thinking afresh about language education for forced migrants means considering how a participatory approach may be an effective way to welcome newcomers and help with their integration. With little effort, language education for migrants could allow space for the development of projects that bring people together. It could foster friendship and understanding while also promoting language development.</p>
<p>Esol is not just another academic subject, it is the most important area that promotes integration. But, at present, opportunities to provide holistic, person-centred language education to people seeking refuge in the UK are being missed because of the overly bureaucratic and exam-focused system that prevails.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/204415/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mike Chick is affiliated with the Welsh Refugee Council as a Trustee</span></em></p>Although English to speakers of other languages (Esol) is treated like any other subject, it can offer far more to those learners.Mike Chick, Senior Lecturer in TESOL/English, University of South WalesLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1927852022-10-26T14:24:22Z2022-10-26T14:24:22ZT-Levels: more vocational courses roll out – but post-16 choices in England are still limited<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/491655/original/file-20221025-19-8abchh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5058%2C3361&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Girls in technology class</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/two-female-college-students-building-machine-1331249348">Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The first cohort of students in England taking T-levels – the new vocational equivalent to A-levels – have completed their course, been assessed, and have received their results. Now more course options for T-levels are being rolled out. The initial offerings were in construction, digital production and education and childcare. By 2025, there will be 23 different T-level options.</p>
<p>T-levels are intended to offer 16-19-year-olds a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/post-16-skills-plan-and-independent-report-on-technical-education">skills-focused route</a> into either employment, higher technical apprenticeships, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/post-16-skills-plan-and-independent-report-on-technical-education">or university</a>. </p>
<p>T-levels were <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/21/contents/enacted">designed</a> to improve on previous offers to 16-19 year olds. They are <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/post-16-skills-plan-and-independent-report-on-technical-education">skills-focused</a>, but grades are also partly based on exams – which the <a href="https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/597282">government considers</a> the most academically rigorous assessment method. One T-level is the equivalent of three A-levels, meaning that T-level students focus on one specialism. </p>
<p>However, the first cycle of T-levels has been beset with issues over exam marking and confusion over whether they are an acceptable route to university. Questions <a href="https://research.hud.ac.uk/media/assets/document/research/hudcres/HudCRESPolicyBriefingNov2021.pdf">also remain</a> around just how relevant these highly specialised routes are for students finishing their GCSEs.</p>
<p>T-levels will replace many BTECs (diplomas provided by the Business and Technology Education Council) and other <a href="https://feweek.co.uk/revealed-38-btecs-facing-the-chop-to-clear-way-for-first-t-levels/">post-16 qualifications</a> by 2024, becoming the <a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/level-3-qualifications-reform-whats-happening-to-btecs/">key vocational route</a> to employment or further education for students who do not wish to take A-levels. </p>
<p>T-levels are very similar to their BTEC predecessors, but offer a longer industry placement. Additionally, not all BTECs include externally-assessed testing.</p>
<p>Like A-levels, T-levels are assessed at points by exams. Unlike A-levels, they place a bigger emphasis on on-the-job learning. All T-level students complete an industry placement which makes up 20% of their final grade. </p>
<h2>Teething problems</h2>
<p>The government has explicitly positioned T-levels as being equivalent to A-levels. However, a historical divide exists between vocational qualifications and those perceived as being more academic. A-levels are seen as the gold standard among post-16 qualifications and as the more obvious route into higher education. </p>
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<p>Despite the stated intentions behind T-levels, there are concerns from students, teachers and parents as to whether universities will consider T-levels as equivalent to A-levels in practice. Almost half of Russell Group universities in the UK <a href="https://feweek.co.uk/confused-and-frustrated-most-universities-reject-first-cohort-of-t-level-students/">failed to accept</a> T-level students for admission in the 2022-23 academic year. </p>
<p>What’s more, an <a href="https://feweek.co.uk/health-and-science-t-level-results-will-be-regraded-after-watchdog-finds-serious-issues/">investigation into T-Level exam papers</a> took place in summer 2022. Ofqual, the exams watchdog, found <a href="https://feweek.co.uk/t-level-exams-issues-more-widespread-than-first-thought-ofqual-reveals/">substantial errors</a> in exam papers on the health and science T-level. More than 1,200 people signed a petition calling for grades to be adjusted.</p>
<p>A new <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-review-of-the-quality-of-t-level-courses-interim-report/a-review-of-the-quality-of-t-level-courses-interim-report">Ofsted report</a> has found that some teachers did not have enough training to teach T-levels and also did not have adequate access to resources such as textbooks. </p>
<p>Further education is <a href="https://feweek.co.uk/ifs-education-cuts-effectively-without-precedent-in-post-war-history/">still emerging</a> from the consequences of austerity, funding cuts and the pandemic. <a href="https://feweek.co.uk/ifs-education-cuts-effectively-without-precedent-in-post-war-history/">The sector</a> is struggling to <a href="https://www.fenews.co.uk/fe-voices/worst-staffing-crisis-in-two-decades-in-englands-colleges/">recruit and retain</a> staff who can teach the highly specialised components demanded by each T-level. </p>
<h2>Impact on students</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2010-to-2015-government-policy-young-people/2010-to-2015-government-policy-young-people#appendix-3-raising-the-participation-age">raising of the school leaving age</a> in September 2015 means that all learners in England must stay in some form of education or training until the age of 18, rather than being able to leave school at 16 as previously.</p>
<p>For learners in Year 11 considering their study options after GCSEs, the choices are in practice quite limited. <a href="https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/education/952208/the-international-baccalaureate-explained">Relatively few</a> schools or sixth form colleges offer the International Baccalaureate, and the majority of these are in the independent sector. Apprenticeships <a href="https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1744816/government-admits-apprenticeship-target-will-missed">have been undersubscribed</a> since enrolment targets were first introduced by the government in 2015-16, although <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships/2021-22">recent figures</a> suggest apprentice numbers are recovering slightly after the pandemic. </p>
<p>A-levels remain overwhelmingly the most popular option for post-16 study, with <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/record-numbers-of-students-take-up-university-places">roughly twice</a> as many A-levels as vocational and technical qualifications awarded in 2021. </p>
<p>However, the A-level route is simply not the best route for some learners. <a href="https://schoolsweek.co.uk/how-can-we-make-school-transition-into-an-opportunity/">Research conducted</a> by one of us (Elizabeth Gregory) at a college of further education found that BTEC students expressed <a href="https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/a-study-of-learner-transition-and-identity-in-the-fe-environment(27fd1cf1-f6d8-433c-ba0d-40a370f87b4f).html">feelings of relief</a> at encountering a new type of study programme where examination was no longer the only method of assessment. </p>
<p>It remains to be seen whether T-levels can offer a genuinely equivalent alternative to A-level study – or whether they will be both too academic for students looking for a vocational course and too vocational for university admissions departments.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/192785/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The first cycle of T-levels has caused some confusion.Elizabeth Gregory, Senior Tutor in Education, University of ManchesterHannah Ruth McCarthy, PhD Candidate in Education, University of ManchesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1806432022-04-13T13:35:03Z2022-04-13T13:35:03ZFour reasons you should consider adult education – even if you’re at the start of your career<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457920/original/file-20220413-26-ijwygx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C0%2C5626%2C3950&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/woman-laptop-working-planning-thinking-concept-334190087">Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Adult education has often been associated with evening classes for older people, such as the wonderful non-formal educational opportunities provided by organisations like the <a href="https://www.u3a.org.uk/about">University of the Third Age</a>. Nevertheless, there is huge value in learning at all stages of life, including for those in their twenties and thirties – for work, self development, health, happiness and participation in wider community life. </p>
<p>Colleges and universities provide opportunities that include short courses, evening classes, fully online distance-programmes and work-based learning. Adults can study for pleasure, to gain a professional development certificate, or to complete a full undergraduate or postgraduate degree, or even a PhD.</p>
<p><a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=dzZ-AgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT29&dq=illeris+lifelong+learning&ots=N95H-rH4Ve&sig=E4a6V-TzDrrXKz_ZLsENJBwwOAQ#v=onepage&q=illeris%20lifelong%20learning&f=false">Research has demonstrated</a> the positive impact of lifelong learning. Its transformative effects include developing critical and reflective skills, fostering a better understanding of our place in the world and our relationship to others, and developing a more secure and fulfilled sense of wellbeing. </p>
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<img alt="Quarter life, a series by The Conversation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/quarter-life-117947?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">This article is part of Quarter Life</a></strong>, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.</em></p>
<p><em>More articles:</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/why-it-makes-good-business-sense-for-your-employer-to-look-after-your-mental-health-177503?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Why it makes good business sense for your employer to look after your mental health</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/student-loans-would-a-graduate-tax-be-a-better-option-179253?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Student loans: would a graduate tax be a better option?</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/your-forgotten-digital-footprints-could-step-on-your-job-prospects-heres-how-to-clean-up-179585?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">Your forgotten digital footprints could step on your job prospects – here’s how to clean up</a></em></p>
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<p>Despite these benefits, the collapse in <a href="https://feweek.co.uk/ifs-education-cuts-effectively-without-precedent-in-post-war-history/#:%7E:text=The%20IFS%20says%20funding%20per,fell%20by%2028%20per%20cent.">further education funding</a> and the introduction of higher university tuition fees has made adult education a noteworthy casualty of austerity. There has been a dramatic decline in the number of adults studying in colleges and universities. Part-time mature student participation decreased by 57% <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/improving-opportunity-and-choice-for-mature-students/">between 2010-11 and 2019-20</a>.</p>
<p>However, there has been a policy shift in the last few years. The UK government recently launched a consultation into the provision of a <a href="https://consult.education.gov.uk/lifelong-loan-entitlement/lifelong-loan-entitlement-consultation/">lifelong loan entitlement</a>, which would provide funding for education to be used over the course of a lifetime.</p>
<p>The expansion of online learning also means there are now considerably more opportunities to get back into study as an adult, especially for those looking to enhance their skills or change career trajectories. </p>
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<p>Here are four reasons to think about studying something new – even if you’re at the beginning of your career. </p>
<h2>1. The idea of a career has changed</h2>
<p>Many of the jobs advertised today would not even have existed when today’s 30-year-olds were in school. While the idea of a “career for life” has not disappeared entirely, the rapid pace and scale of change means that we are more and more likely to <a href="https://www.gallup.com/workplace/231587/millennials-job-hopping-generation.aspx">move around considerably</a> during our working lifetime. We will take more career breaks, seek more promotional opportunities, or jump ship and start entirely afresh – often on a number of occasions across our working lives. </p>
<p>While we used to think of careers in terms of stability, predictability and incremental progression, we now understand that they can be fractured, complex, messy and unpredictable. </p>
<p>Lifelong learning provides a wide variety of in-work and out-of-work opportunities for people to develop their skills or learn new ones. It provides varied opportunities for adults who didn’t gain qualifications at school to re-enter formal education and qualify for graduate level employment.</p>
<h2>2. There are financial incentives</h2>
<p>The government’s plan to introduce a lifelong loan entitlement is just one way that future learners may be able to fund their study. Other options are already available, such as degree apprenticeships, which allow learners to study while employed. </p>
<p>These relatively new courses with a salary, no course fees to pay and blocks of learning related to employment are proving <a href="https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/education/increase-in-university-applications-outstripped-by-demand-for-degree-and-higher-level-apprenticeships-over-past-year-3341463">understandably popular</a> – especially in digital technologies, leadership, social work and engineering. </p>
<h2>3. Learning has become much more flexible</h2>
<p>The last few years have seen an increased emphasis on flexibility, enabling adult learners to fit study around their work and family commitments. The 2019 Augar Review into post-18 education in England <a href="https://wonkhe.com/blogs/the-augar-review-the-essential-overview-for-he/">encouraged colleges and universities</a> to develop provision that enables learners to “step on” and “step off” <a href="https://study-online.sussex.ac.uk/about-us/">their learning journeys</a> – to study when and where it suits. </p>
<p>The pandemic has driven a rapid increase in the quality and quantity of wholly online courses. There is now a vast array of opportunities to study from home, either through a traditional university or via a specialist online organisation like <a href="https://www.futurelearn.com">FutureLearn</a> or <a href="https://www.coursera.org">Coursera</a>.</p>
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<img alt="Man taking notes at laptop" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457943/original/file-20220413-17-khjw2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/457943/original/file-20220413-17-khjw2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457943/original/file-20220413-17-khjw2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457943/original/file-20220413-17-khjw2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457943/original/file-20220413-17-khjw2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457943/original/file-20220413-17-khjw2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/457943/original/file-20220413-17-khjw2q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Online classes make learning more flexible.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/happy-african-business-man-black-male-1854664897">insta_photos/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Another avenue is to opt for <a href="https://education.ec.europa.eu/education-levels/higher-education/micro-credentials">microcredentials</a>, which allow learners to complete short, specific, <a href="https://www.gla.ac.uk/study/microcredentials/">work-based courses online</a> or in person – without the commitment of enrolling on a full three-year programme. Moreover, the credits achieved can normally count towards a degree for those that want to carry on studying. </p>
<h2>4. It’s good for your wellbeing</h2>
<p>Adult learners bring life experiences and established perspectives with them when they start a course. Active, participatory and discursive learning environments enable them to draw on these experiences, contextualise and interrogate them, and learn from one another. </p>
<p>Educational research has shown us that such “<a href="https://catalogimages.wiley.com/images/db/pdf/9780470257906.excerpt.pdf">transformational learning</a>” results in happier, healthier individuals, who have stronger social networks and <a href="https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/10385/Transformative_teaching_and_learning_in_further_education_july_2019/pdf/transformativeteachingandlearninginfurthereducationjuly2019">enhanced family life</a>. These positive individual outcomes ripple throughout their families and friendship groups, and across wider <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Being-Adult-Learner-Austere-Times/dp/3319972073?asin=3319972073&revisionId=&format=4&depth=1">communities and society</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/180643/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Will Curtis works for University of Warwick </span></em></p>Education can improve wellbeing – and job prospects.Will Curtis, Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor and Professor in Education, University of WarwickLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1570022021-03-17T17:22:29Z2021-03-17T17:22:29ZTuring scheme: when it comes to studying abroad, money isn’t the only concern<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/389808/original/file-20210316-17-lz7o78.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Studying abroad for even a short period can lead to tangible social and economic benefits</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://pxhere.com/en/photo/926855">pxhere.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Turing scheme, launched on March 12 by the UK government, is touted as a replacement for the EU’s Erasmus+ programme, to which UK students no longer have access <a href="https://theconversation.com/post-brexit-trade-deal-the-gaps-worth-noting-152568">following the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union last December.</a>. Under the new programme, students will be provided with funding to put towards the cost of study or work placements abroad – via partnerships their home institution has brokered with institutions around the world. </p>
<p>Erasmus started in 1987 as a network of 11 European countries, and, since rebranding in 2014 as Erasmus+, has expanded to 23 more, with some limited connections still further afield. Turing, meanwhile, is intended to allow students to travel globally. Michelle Donelan, the universities’ minister and education secretary Gavin Williamson <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/turing-scheme-to-open-up-global-study-and-work-opportunities">have said</a> the new scheme aims to improve social mobility and enable particularly students from disadvantaged backgrounds to access the benefits such travel brings.</p>
<p>This is a worthy goal. Many studies have documented the <a href="https://theconversation.com/erasmus-what-the-turing-scheme-must-do-to-ensure-uk-students-dont-miss-out-152543">tangible social and economic benefits</a> such opportunities can lead to – not least improving students’ <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14767720902907895">employment prospects</a>. </p>
<p>But the Turing Scheme <a href="https://twitter.com/maxfras/status/1368913490308702208">has been criticised</a> for not covering tuition fees. The funding is intended to go towards <a href="https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/funding-opportunities/higher-education-funding/#parentHorizontalTab4">living costs</a> (with grants of up to £490 per month, depending on which country they will travel to) and, for students from disadvantaged backgrounds only, travel costs. Under the Erasmus+ scheme all participants were entitled to a travel grant. The <a href="https://twitter.com/educationgovuk/status/1369356121085992962">government has said</a> it expects tuition fees to be waived by the host institution, as part of a reciprocal arrangement with their UK partner university. </p>
<p>Historically, it is true, poorer students were <a href="https://theconversation.com/etudiants-le-programme-erasmus-a-t-il-democratise-les-sejours-a-letranger-110955">less likely</a> to take advantage of Erasmus than their more affluent peers. But <a href="https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/about/widening-access/">it is misleading</a> to suggest, as the government has, that no progress had been made towards this goal in the updated Erasmus+. </p>
<p>Over the past decade students from a <a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9781137355430">wider range of backgrounds</a> have taken advantage of the Erasmus+ scheme. In the UK, a notable change came when <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14733285.2013.851063">paid work placements were introduced</a> to Erasmus in 2007. Moreover, <a href="https://www.erasmusplus.org.uk/higher-education-student-and-staff-grant-rates">further means-tested funding</a> is now available to Erasmus+ students from disadvantaged backgrounds. </p>
<h2>Social factors</h2>
<p>It is also not clear that merely increasing the money available for students to travel will be enough to close the gap. This applies equally to the Turing scheme as it does to the Erasmus+ programme.</p>
<p>Deciding to study abroad relates not just to economic issues but various <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11162-014-9338-7">social factors, too</a>. Key among these is the extent to which a student feels confident about being without family and friends. This, <a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9780230578449">studies suggest</a>, is often related to how much previous experience of travel they have had. </p>
<p>Students from more affluent backgrounds are more likely to have gone on trips with family and school, which in turn means they are more likely to take up travel opportunities offered at university level. </p>
<p>Students with financial constraints (needing to work part-time to support themselves, for example) or other commitments (such as caring for children or parents), however, are less likely to travel. Short-term overseas placements – perhaps for only a week or two – would make it easier for them. But the minimum timeframe required for a Turing scheme trip is <a href="https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/funding-opportunities/higher-education-funding/#parentHorizontalTab1">four weeks</a>.</p>
<p>And, as travel opportunities have been taken up by a more diverse group of students, so those opportunities have become stratified. Research has found that people from the most affluent families tend to monopolise schemes of the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21568235.2017.1373027?journalCode=rehe20">highest academic quality</a>, in the most prestigious institutions.</p>
<p>As well as ensuring as wide a group of students as possible is able to benefit from the Turing scheme, the government and individual institutions must also make sure that all placements and exchanges are of equally high quality and allocated on an equitable basis. But the scheme’s reliance on individual reciprocal agreements between institutions – as opposed to the network that Erasmus+ provides – could limit its ability to do just that.</p>
<p>It is also far from clear that overseas institutions will be willing to enter into such reciprocal fee-waiving agreements. Universities that already participate in the Erasmus+ programme – in Turkey, Iceland, Norway, Serbia and North Macedonia, as well as the 27 EU nations – are unlikely to want to cover the costs of their students travelling to and living in the UK when they can study in any of the Erasmus+ countries at no extra charge.</p>
<p>Outside of the Erasmus+ scheme, reciprocal agreements may be limited to wealthy institutions and wealthy students – those who can self-fund the substantial costs of travelling to and living in the UK. The UK government, however, should bear some ethical responsibility for ensuring the social profile of <em>incoming</em> students is not further restricted. </p>
<p>Institutions across the UK are now applying for Turing funding for 2021-2022. The UK government’s priority in devising this new scheme is clearly to widen participation among students. It remains to be seen whether the funding they’ve allocated – not to mention the agreements between institutions they’re hoping for – will be enough to ensure any student who wishes to can indeed pack their suitcase.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/157002/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rachel Brooks receives funding from the European Research Council and the British Council.</span></em></p>When deciding whether to study abroad, though, social factors are just as important as funding.Rachel Brooks, Professor of Sociology, University of SurreyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1438602020-08-17T16:21:11Z2020-08-17T16:21:11ZHow the coronavirus pandemic is affecting young people’s career plans<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352769/original/file-20200813-14-1orm5m6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=497%2C0%2C2997%2C1922&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/group-friends-walking-backpacks-sunset-back-361011203">IMG Stock Studio/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The coronavirus pandemic has had a serious and potentially detrimental impact on the lives of young people in the UK. The <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cdl8n2ede0lt/a-levels">disruption to A-level results</a> is one significant example, but is not the only way the future career prospects of young people have been affected. </p>
<p>Those aged 16 to 24 have been among those hardest hit by the pandemic. They are most at risk of unemployment and face reduced opportunities for <a href="https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/app/uploads/2020/05/Young-workers-in-the-coronavirus-crisis.pdf">employment and training</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://orca.cf.ac.uk/87100/2/Moving%20on%20or%20staying%20local%20post%20print.pdf">My research</a> focuses on the decisions young people make about their future, including how social class and location affect the decisions made by 16-18-year-olds when they leave school. Recently, as part of an ongoing research project, I spoke to ten young people about how the coronavirus pandemic had affected their plans for the future. </p>
<h2>Disrupted plans</h2>
<p>I had interviewed these young people a year previously, when they were all in further education studying for their A-levels or vocational qualifications. All had GCSEs and expected A-levels or BTEC grades which would make university perfectly possible, yet many had been looking towards finding a job, starting training schemes or apprenticeships or returning to college for more study. Some were just deeply uncertain about what to do after leaving college.</p>
<p>Six of the young people emphasised that the pandemic (and the government-enforced lockdown) had slowed or curtailed their opportunities for jobs, applications for training courses or had delayed start dates for training. Robin, for example, described how many companies which had previously offered apprenticeships had either put applications on hold or were no longer accepting them. </p>
<p>The situation was similar for Becky, who was working for a pizza delivery company whilst she searched for other job opportunities. She explained that the pandemic had made it more difficult to find alternative employment or to gain support from others regarding education or training opportunities. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Carpenter training male apprentice" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353139/original/file-20200817-24-xqjd0b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353139/original/file-20200817-24-xqjd0b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353139/original/file-20200817-24-xqjd0b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353139/original/file-20200817-24-xqjd0b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353139/original/file-20200817-24-xqjd0b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353139/original/file-20200817-24-xqjd0b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353139/original/file-20200817-24-xqjd0b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The coronavirus pandemic has reduced opportunities for apprenticeships.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/carpenter-training-male-apprentice-use-mechanized-531128641">Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The overwhelming message here was one of frustration: stalling and slowing opportunities, job prospects being curtailed, and applications for training shut down. This made it harder to escape unsatisfying or poorly paid part-time jobs.</p>
<p>These experiences are borne out by the findings of other research: a survey by the Resolution Foundation think tank found that a <a href="https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/young-workers-in-the-coronavirus-crisis/">third of people aged 18-24</a> had lost work as a result of the pandemic, while the Hope not Hate campaign group <a href="https://www.hopenothate.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/youth-fear-and-hope-2020-07-v2final.pdf">found that 55%</a> of the young people they surveyed believed that their options for the future had been limited. </p>
<p>The sense of uncertainty which lay ahead was deeply frustrating for some, yet the young people I spoke to retained hope that opportunities would emerge again once the pandemic had passed. None of them said they had had a radical change of heart or anticipated a completely different path as a result. </p>
<h2>Uncertainty and apprehension</h2>
<p>Nevertheless, the apprehensions felt by these young people were striking because those I interviewed in <a href="http://orca.cf.ac.uk/87100/2/Moving%20on%20or%20staying%20local%20post%20print.pdf">my previous research</a> had not expressed this level of uncertainty. The young people I spoke to in my previous research were largely optimistic that they would secure employment opportunities in urban locations, which for many meant moving away from home. </p>
<p>Yet these young people’s plans were often highly tentative. While they felt that going to university and moving away from home was the route to a “better” job, few were certain about exactly what they would be doing (in terms of work or careers) in the future. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Young woman walking with suitcase" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353143/original/file-20200817-18-1hax34w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/353143/original/file-20200817-18-1hax34w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353143/original/file-20200817-18-1hax34w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353143/original/file-20200817-18-1hax34w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353143/original/file-20200817-18-1hax34w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353143/original/file-20200817-18-1hax34w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/353143/original/file-20200817-18-1hax34w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The young people in my research anticipated moving to an urban area to find employment.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/beautiful-woman-suitcases-crossing-street-big-276705929">MNBB Studio/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The experiences of these young people, both from my current and previous research, show the fragility with which this group makes decisions for the future. Young people’s plans, hopes and aspirations change. Their trajectories and transitions through post-18 training and employment are, for many, not linear but instead take unexpected courses and turns. They are often influenced by contexts and circumstances beyond their control. </p>
<p>This is especially so for young people who do not come from a family with experience of higher education, or with financial, cultural or social resources that would prop up a smoother transition after the age of 18.</p>
<p>Within an uncertain environment, the slumped opportunities for employment or stalled access to training may be potentially damaging, especially those not transitioning to higher education. If work and training opportunities are harder to come by, young people who are already at risk of experiencing mental health problems may feel an exacerbated sense of <a href="https://youngminds.org.uk/media/3904/coronavirus-report-summer-2020-final.pdf">uncertainty and anxiety</a> at this time. </p>
<p>Support and guidance for young people navigating these uncertain times is crucial. Schools, colleges and training providers could play a vital role here by reaching out to provide support when dreams, hopes and plans don’t work out. If anything is to be learned from this pandemic, it is that we need to offer compassion and care to the young people who are making their way through this highly challenging and precarious time.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/143860/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ceryn Evans receives funding from The British Academy/Leverhulme (SRG1819\190225)</span></em></p>The pandemic is taking a toll on young people’s career aspirations.Ceryn Evans, Lecturer in Education, Swansea UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1353912020-05-05T10:54:31Z2020-05-05T10:54:31ZIn praise of further education colleges: empowering students who have been written off<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/331984/original/file-20200501-42918-1a28vax.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C0%2C5070%2C3380&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/teacher-student-sit-together-adult-education-388591597">Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Education policy for schools in the UK has become more and more <a href="https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-education-debate">focused around performance</a>. The expectation is that students reach milestones of understanding and learning in each subject. This means that almost <a href="http://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/6805/">a third of young people</a> – those that do not meet these milestones – are effectively written off as also-rans at 16. </p>
<p>Further education colleges pick up the pieces of this overly rigid education system. They challenge the reductive assumptions that underpin it: that some students are academic and others will never be. Colleges help students to take agency and shape their learning in different ways. In doing this, they are a real engine room for social mobility and social justice.</p>
<p>Our recent research, the <a href="https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/10385/Transformative_teaching_and_learning_in_further_education_july_2019/pdf/transformativeteachingandlearninginfurthereducationjuly2019">Transforming Lives</a> project, looks into how further education colleges can reconnect students to education as a meaningful and valuable part of their lives. </p>
<h2>Focus on individuals</h2>
<p>Teaching methods in further education colleges vary, but they all have a focus on the individual student, their background, their needs and their identities. College teachers recognise that one part of their role is to build students’ sense of themselves as someone who can learn effectively. Teachers then need to connect this educational experience to the wider world of life and work. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/332291/original/file-20200504-83725-qi5746.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/332291/original/file-20200504-83725-qi5746.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/332291/original/file-20200504-83725-qi5746.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/332291/original/file-20200504-83725-qi5746.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=394&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/332291/original/file-20200504-83725-qi5746.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/332291/original/file-20200504-83725-qi5746.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/332291/original/file-20200504-83725-qi5746.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=495&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Talk and group work is encouraged.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/top-view-group-students-sitting-together-506137015">Jacob Lund/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We spoke to students at further education colleges as part of our research. Their stories showed that college courses provide routes to overcoming economic, social, political and cultural marginalisation.</p>
<p><a href="https://transforminglives.web.ucu.org.uk/2017/02/03/adams-story-inspiring/">Adam</a>, a 16-year-old who had previously been excluded from school, gave us a powerful example of the impact of labelling in school. He explained how he had internalised teachers’ views of him: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I used to think I was dumb all the time in school. I had no hopes at all. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Entering a further education college at 15 meant rediscovering that he could be successful as a learner. His interest in football was encouraged and he had plans and ambitions to coach as a result. </p>
<p>On his first parents’ evening at college, his mother sat and listened to an account of his progress for five minutes before asking: “Are you sure you’ve got the right Adam?” She had become used to receiving calls at work from Adam’s school asking her to come and take him home because of another outburst of temper. Finding success as a learner in college meant that not only his life was transformed, but his family’s was too.</p>
<p>Another participant, <a href="https://transforminglives.web.ucu.org.uk/2017/10/12/anita/">Anita</a>, in her thirties, talked about being put “in a box” at school, and how the social interactions she had with teachers were shaped by their judgements of her ability. Anita took a social work degree and is now working. She credited the further education teaching she recieved:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>My tutors are the ones that got me here … They encouraged me. They never once doubted me. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Both Anita and Adam’s experiences of education were shaped by teachers’ negative judgements earlier in life. In college, both responded to teaching which focuses on building confidence as an essential ingredient. </p>
<h2>Building confidence</h2>
<p>Both Anita and Adam described how uplifting it was for someone to value them for who they were and recognise the obstacles they had overcome. Along with this recognition came validation. Both described how this empowered them and gave them a feeling of self-worth, inspiring them with confidence and hope for the future. </p>
<p>College teachers achieve these transformative effects by treating students with dignity, respect and care. They begin by focusing on students’ existing knowledge and interests, and encouraging them to share these. Desks are often arranged in groups, as teachers understand the value of on-task talk and group work.</p>
<p>The below chart shows teachers’ responses to the statement “In my teaching, I try to create a learning environment that fosters mutual respect”.</p>
<p>Teachers often focus on the social aspects of learning, as they build strong relationships and a positive atmosphere in a class. Project or task-based work that involves working across lessons and building to a presentation and/or sharing results is also important. </p>
<h2>A different approach</h2>
<p>Colleges are constrained by funding pressures and are subject to the same market pressures as schools <a href="https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/10385/Transformative_teaching_and_learning_in_further_education_july_2019/pdf/transformativeteachingandlearninginfurthereducationjuly2019">in terms of results</a>. But what many further education teachers understand is that they have to take a different approach to teaching and learning with young people if they are to be successful. The phrase that so often surfaced in our research across the country from students was that a particular teacher “believed in me”. We must never underestimate the power of a teacher’s belief.</p>
<p>College teachers encourage people who have left school feeling like failures so that they can become successful learners. These students can then harness education to plan a future driven by choice, hope and employment.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/135391/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rob Smith receives funding from UCU. I am a member of UCU. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Vicky Duckworth receives funding from UCU. </span></em></p>Students who struggled at school can flourish in further education colleges.Rob Smith, Professor of Education, Birmingham City UniversityVicky Duckworth, Professor of Education, Edge Hill UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1180802019-05-31T13:27:26Z2019-05-31T13:27:26ZThe Augar Review: what it could mean for students and universities<p>After many months of delay, while it was caught up in the policy vacuum created by Brexit, the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/805127/Review_of_post_18_education_and_funding.pdf">Augar Review has finally been published</a>. </p>
<p>This independent government-commissioned report, chaired by Philip Augar, a British author and former equities broker, highlights a number of recommendations for post-18 education. Beyond the <a href="https://theconversation.com/universities-in-crisis-why-a-cut-in-tuition-fees-and-longer-loan-period-would-make-most-students-worse-off-118078">headline cut to tuition fees</a>, the review aims to “ensure a joined-up system that works for everyone”. Augar provides more than 60 proposals for both further education and higher education – for once taking a combined view of two sectors that are often regarded less and more prestigious respectively. </p>
<p>As part of a package of measures to improve the status of further education, the review proposes moving away from structuring government fee loans around a three or four year degree. Instead, it recommends a lifelong learning allowance that can be used to fund degree or further education programmes. </p>
<p>As well as lowering fees to £7,500 from £9,250, Augar proposes the reintroduction of means-tested maintenance grants up to £3,000. The report also recommends extending student loan repayments from 30 to 40 years. Above inflation interest rates on student loans would also be removed – but only during the period when the student is at university – and there would also be an overall cap on total paybacks. </p>
<p>This may all sound good for borrowers in the long term. But the lowering of the repayment threshold from £25,725 to £23,000 – and the extension of the repayment period will <a href="https://theconversation.com/universities-in-crisis-why-a-cut-in-tuition-fees-and-longer-loan-period-would-make-most-students-worse-off-118078">make many graduates worse off</a> – and means they could be paying back loans well into their sixties. For the government, however, these changes would put the country’s finances in a better position by increasing the proportion of the overall student loan book that is repaid. </p>
<h2>The impact for students</h2>
<p>The ways in which such changes to funding might impact <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-40511184">student participation</a> are complex. As <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0309877X.2013.778966">research regularly shows</a>, for most students only significant changes in on-course costs influence their choices about where and what to study. </p>
<p>Under the current system, an overall student loan can reach £54,500 for students from low income families on a three-year course. So differences of £1,000, or even the proposed £1,750, in annual fees will reduce the amount borrowed by under 10% and give no immediate financial benefit to undergraduates.</p>
<p>The proposed grant, however, could go towards living costs and help to reduce the need for students from low-income backgrounds to take paid employment while studying. This would have a direct impact on the experience and likely outcomes for these students. So, in this sense, the reintroduction of grants should play at least a small part in increasing participation among those from low-income backgrounds.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/277384/original/file-20190531-69059-tk6fro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/277384/original/file-20190531-69059-tk6fro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277384/original/file-20190531-69059-tk6fro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277384/original/file-20190531-69059-tk6fro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277384/original/file-20190531-69059-tk6fro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277384/original/file-20190531-69059-tk6fro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277384/original/file-20190531-69059-tk6fro.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The reform could see loans renamed as student contributions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The changes in repayment terms would also mean that lower earning graduates would pay back only some of their debts, while those on the current income threshold of £25,725 would make, what the report describes as, a “student contribution” of an additional £180 a year. </p>
<p>Looking at <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/805103/ANNEX_Estimating_the_lifetime_contributions.pdf">projections over the 40 years</a>, however, the new repayment model would make little difference to the very lowest earners, and high earners would benefit from the 120% cap on repayments in relation to loans. It would be middle income borrowers, with salaries of around £45,000 five years after graduation, who would feel the most impact – paying back around 105% of their original loan over 40 years, as opposed to 40% over 30 years under the current system.</p>
<p>And, of course, while the proposed increases in resources for further education should improve the options and experiences of many students, there’s a question of how the possible reduction in funding for some university courses will impact on student experience and choices.</p>
<h2>A step back from marketisation?</h2>
<p>While the headline from the report may have become the almost 20% reduction in maximum undergraduate fees in England, <a href="https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/news/Pages/Top-up-guarantee-needed-from-government-if-fees-are-cut,-warns-UUK.aspx">vice-chancellors want to know more</a> about how this will be implemented. </p>
<p>The sector estimates that the <a href="https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/news/Pages/Top-up-guarantee-needed-from-government-if-fees-are-cut,-warns-UUK.aspx">funding gap will be around £1.8 billion</a> each year. And there are strong signals that the review believes this should be used to increase what it describes as the government’s currently “very limited control over the substantial taxpayer investment in higher education.”</p>
<p>This could prove to be the first step in a retreat from <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03054985.2016.1184870">David Willett’s package of reforms</a> which, in 2012, introduced £9,000 maximum fees and, in 2015, led to the removal of student number caps – so that universities can now offer as many places on each course as they wish. These changes grew from proposals in <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/31384/11-944-higher-education-students-at-heart-of-system.pdf">Students at the Heart of the System</a>, a white paper that aimed to create a system more responsive to student demand. Or <a href="https://fabians.org.uk/the-marketisation-of-higher-education/">as its critics would say</a>, to marketise higher education.</p>
<p>Of course, there’s no certainty that any changes to post-18 education and funding that are introduced in the wake of the Augar Review will actually follow the route it advocates. But it’s to be hoped that when politicians consider the financial implications of these proposals during the Spending Review later in 2019, they remember and reflect <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-launches-major-review-of-post-18-education">on the original thinking behind this exercise</a> and allocate funding with all post-18 education options and students in mind.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/118080/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Helen Carasso has received funding for research through an ESRC research centre.</span></em></p>Many of the new proposals would leave the wealthiest students and graduates better off.Helen Carasso, Research Lecturer in Higher Education Policy, University of OxfordLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1180782019-05-30T17:19:22Z2019-05-30T17:19:22ZUniversities in crisis: why a cut in tuition fees and longer loan period would make most students worse off<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/277249/original/file-20190530-69067-16tcvgx.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pexels</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>University tuition fees in England are <a href="https://www.student-loan-calculator.co.uk/blog/2017/03/tuition-fees-in-england-are-now-the-highest-in-the-world/">some of the highest in the world</a>, with an average annual cost of £9,188. This means that English students are paying significantly more for higher education that those in many other countries – including the US which is known for its expensive tuition fees, and where the average student pays US$9,410 a year (around £7,518).</p>
<p>But new recommendations say that university tuition fees in England should be cut to £7,500. This would be balanced out by extending student loan repayments from 30 to 40 years. The suggestions come as part of an independent <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/post-18-review-of-education-and-funding-independent-panel-report">government-commissioned review</a> chaired by Philip Augar, a British author and former equities broker.</p>
<p>In addition to lowering fees to £7,500, Augar also proposes the re-introduction of means-tested maintenance grants up to £3,000. The review also proposes a decrease in the punitive interest rates on student loans – but only during the period when the student is at university – as well as an overall cap on total paybacks. This would see the total repayment capped at 1.2 times the original loan (in real terms). So for every £10,000 of a loan, the most students would have to pay back would be £12,000.</p>
<h2>A damp squib</h2>
<p>It’s hard to argue with the core message of the Augar Review, that the focus of additional funding should be towards the 50% of post-18 students who do not attend university – <a href="https://theconversation.com/t-levels-might-mark-a-revolution-in-technical-education-but-whos-going-to-teach-all-the-students-104590">further education colleges</a> have been decimated since the introduction of the high fee regime in 2012. </p>
<p>But with respect to the university sector, the review is a damp squib and only tinkers at the edges. From Augar’s own figures, students will – despite the headline cut in fees – on average be paying more. Remarkably, only high-income graduates will see a reduction, due to the cap on total payments.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/277250/original/file-20190530-69067-zhozcy.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/277250/original/file-20190530-69067-zhozcy.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277250/original/file-20190530-69067-zhozcy.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277250/original/file-20190530-69067-zhozcy.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277250/original/file-20190530-69067-zhozcy.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277250/original/file-20190530-69067-zhozcy.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277250/original/file-20190530-69067-zhozcy.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The changes could see graduates paying back loans through most of their working lives into their 60s.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Pexels</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The extension of the repayment period to 40 years means that the bulk of graduates will actually be paying more. They will also suffer the psychological burden of high debt for that time – with lower earners repaying for longer, while the highest earners have already paid off their loans. </p>
<p>This will hit students from middle and even lower-income backgrounds the hardest, as <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/graduates-from-poorer-backgrounds-earn-less-than-wealthier-peers-on-same-course-major-international-a6981401.html">research shows</a> graduates from poorer backgrounds earn less than richer peers on the same course.</p>
<p>Those students who do not qualify for the proposed £3,000 grant, will definitely be worse off than they are now. Since universities are getting the same incomes, and taxpayers are not paying more, and lower-income and higher-income students are paying less, the middle must carry the load. They gain from the reduction in the fee level, from lowered interest rates during their studies, but then suffer disproportionately from the extension of the repayments to 40 years. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/277251/original/file-20190530-69095-1tliwge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/277251/original/file-20190530-69095-1tliwge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277251/original/file-20190530-69095-1tliwge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277251/original/file-20190530-69095-1tliwge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277251/original/file-20190530-69095-1tliwge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277251/original/file-20190530-69095-1tliwge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/277251/original/file-20190530-69095-1tliwge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cost of university accommodation should also be scrutinised by the regulator, the review says.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Students feel an injustice that they are charged a higher rate of interest than the cost of funds to the government. But Augar’s charging of the lower rate during the period of study, but not afterwards, does not address the inequity and further hits the middle-income group of students disproportionately. </p>
<p>And by our calculations, a cut in interest rates throughout the repayment period to the government’s cost of borrowing (as proposed by Browne) would only cost the government about £270 per student.</p>
<h2>Quality of education</h2>
<p>In a sense though, all these specifications of the loan system are secondary to the most important issue, the quality of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-too-many-graduates-getting-good-degrees-91181">degree achieved</a>. Augar recognises that there are both quality improvements and efficiency savings to be made, but relies on “nudge” approaches where the Office for Students, the independent regulator of higher education in England, encourages universities to be more effective with only a delayed threat of action.</p>
<p>But it is the <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/">Office for Students</a> that itself is imposing counterproductive costs upon universities. <a href="https://theconversation.com/tef-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-university-rankings-79932">The new TEF</a> (Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework) is felt by many to be a distortion, focused upon the wrong measures and upon student satisfaction rather than the integrity and quality of education. It’s like having the Civil Aviation Authority focused upon the quality of in-flight meals rather than the safety of aeroplanes. </p>
<h2>Widening participation</h2>
<p>But there could be a straight forward solution. In our recent book, <a href="https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/english-universities-in-crisis">English Universities in Crisis: Markets without Competition</a>, we look at the current issues facing universities and combine theoretical and data analysis, as well as insights gained from running a university, to give robust new policy proposals. </p>
<p>We propose up to a 50% write off for both fees and maintenance for students from a lower income background. By our calculations, a 50% write off could be given to 10% of students and a 25% write off to 10% of students. This would cost the government £1,125 on average per student. This is roughly what universities are spending today on <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-gap-between-rich-and-poor-students-going-to-university-has-reached-record-levels-63967">less effective</a> widening participation initiatives. </p>
<p>We also recommend student fees to be lowered, the reintroduction of maintenance awards, student number caps, cancelling the TEF and establishing different roles for different types of institutions. All of which would help to encourage excellence and ultimately benefit society.</p>
<p>
<section class="inline-content">
<img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249586/original/file-20181210-76983-1azl8ax.png?h=128">
<div>
<header>Jefferson Frank, Norman Gowar and Michael Naef are the authors of:</header>
<p><a href="https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/english-universities-in-crisis">English Universities in Crisis: Markets without Competition.</a></p>
<footer>Bristol University Press provides funding as a content partner of The Conversation UK</footer>
</div>
</section>
</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/118078/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jefferson Frank does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Despite the headline cut in fees, under the Augar review, students would on average be paying more.Jefferson Frank, Professor of Economics, Royal Holloway University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1047822018-10-12T10:15:50Z2018-10-12T10:15:50ZHow a National Education Service could help to break down class divisions<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/240231/original/file-20181011-154583-ttz3s2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/graduate-threw-hat-sky-graduation-day-681224143?src=UJdWANgoZemtgU_DGaRZhg-6-49">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/eu-referendum-2016">EU Referendum of 2016</a> was never a political football match. In spite of the tone that runs through the debate, there are no clear-cut winners or losers in this battle. If Britain ends up better off after Brexit, then everyone wins – Remainers and Leave supporters alike. </p>
<p>But nobody wins if the UK ends up in a worse state than it is now. Ordinary people and ordinary workers will suffer in the event of a low-tax, low-wage, increasingly privatised and deregulated environment. Such an environment would not facilitate any form of taking back control. Nor would it require a skilled and educated workforce. </p>
<p>Large corporations, strengthened by a trade deal agreed on their terms, could end up controlling a low-paid, low-skilled workforce operating in <a href="https://theconversation.com/understanding-the-amazonian-workplace-its-the-law-of-the-jungle-46442">warehouse conditions</a>. On top of that, we are going to see a considerable brain drain, if or when Britain leaves the EU.</p>
<p>Already, in the present climate of uncertainty about workers’ rights, our schools, hospitals, universities, creative industries and many more sectors are in danger of haemorrhaging invaluable expertise and experience. </p>
<p>With recent Conservative Party <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/economy/2018/10/z-jobs-under-50000-theresa-may-says-are-not-skilled">talk of setting a lower limit</a> of 50K salaries for incoming skilled workers, the UK risks losing many talented individuals without anybody to replace them. That is why even those of us who never wanted to see Brexit happen need to start planning for the long-term consequences. </p>
<p>Education is going to be a key area – one which might come to define the soul of a “Britain Yet-To-Be”. Are we on a journey towards an increasingly privatised environment in which all of our citizens – even students and hospital patients – are turned into consumers? Or are we at a precipice of a different kind – one that requires a radical leap into a whole new, more equitable society? </p>
<p>An interesting take on that subject emerged at the recent <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/labourconference">Labour Party Conference</a>. There the talk was not of 50K salaries, but of creating environments that give equal opportunity to everyone, effectively removing borders that have long existed within UK higher education. </p>
<p>Angela Rayner, the shadow secretary of state for education, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/sep/18/end-education-snobbery-labour-angela-rayner">advocated the creation</a> of a “National Education Service” shaped by the same principles upon which the NHS was founded. </p>
<p>Within this there would be an emphasis upon lifelong learning and the creation of environments shaped around present and future societal needs. At the moment Britain is lagging behind other places when it comes to digital skills and <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.verdict.co.uk/stem-skills-uk-industry-brexit/&ust=1539340560000000&usg=AFQjCNEiNKgCuGoCG0AK33Q-L72m0xi2jA&hl=en&source=gmail">success in STEM subjects</a> (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) for example. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/240238/original/file-20181011-154567-typ0tl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/240238/original/file-20181011-154567-typ0tl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240238/original/file-20181011-154567-typ0tl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240238/original/file-20181011-154567-typ0tl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240238/original/file-20181011-154567-typ0tl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240238/original/file-20181011-154567-typ0tl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/240238/original/file-20181011-154567-typ0tl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Taking steps towards a brain drain?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/brexit-flags-united-kingdom-european-union-752563282?src=wgpfjCtHQFMr4pz2gBJ4Eg-1-42">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Young people are not getting access to, or funding for, the vocational courses they might have attended in the past if they didn’t go to university. This not only creates a skills gap, but is also creating real potential for social disconnect. </p>
<h2>Mixed education</h2>
<p>Blurring the boundaries of further and higher education would certainly change the nature of academia. Some critics might argue that we are in danger of moving towards a state where degrees are devalued because everybody has one. Today’s BA qualification becomes yesterday’s A level, today’s Masters becomes yesterday’s BA. </p>
<p>But this is to miss the point of the aspiration for a National Education Service. The goal is not to force students down a degree route at the expense of vocational courses. Instead the ambition is to radically alter the relationships that educational institutions have with one another. Already many higher education institutions (including the one I work for) are improving the links they have with schools, and want to expand this further. </p>
<p>A National Education Service would allow them to do this. More than that, it would help to break down class divisions and the notion of there being a hierarchy within education and employment. Imagine a country where the plumbers studied in the same institutions as the pharmacists while the hairdressers interacted with those seeking to become human resource managers and the midwives or mechanics mixed with the doctors and the engineers. </p>
<p>Such a scenario might actually create a society that can survive the derailment of Brexit, if it happens. Sadly I don’t trust the present managers of the situation to achieve this because, at heart, they don’t genuinely accept that nobody wins unless everybody wins. But in truth everyone is singing to the same tune, whichever political tribe they are part of – and that’s the tune of a ticking clock.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/104782/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Breen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The brain drain is coming – it has to be stopped.Paul Breen, Senior Lecturer in Education, University of WestminsterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/996482018-07-31T20:14:30Z2018-07-31T20:14:30ZFewer teenagers plan on further study, with disadvantaged teens most at risk<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229767/original/file-20180730-106508-8bhjft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5897%2C3907&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Teenagers' plans for the future can affect their school work now.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/RmO3If0EYHM">Sammie Vasquez/Unsplash</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A smaller proportion of Australian teenagers are expecting to go to university or TAFE than they did 15 years ago, according to new research.</p>
<p>The survey, by the <a href="https://www.acer.org">Australian Council for Educational Research</a> (ACER), which manages the <a href="https://www.acer.org/ozpisa">Program for International Student Assessment</a> (PISA) in Australia, found in 2015 a total of 54% of 15-year-old students were aiming for a university degree. Around 3% were aiming for a TAFE diploma. This was down from 2003, when 63% planned to go to university, and 8% planned to do a TAFE diploma.</p>
<p>A decline in students’ expectations of a university degree may not be cause for alarm. Instead, it may reflect expanding opportunities in other qualification areas, such as apprenticeships and other forms of vocational education. The decline in those students expecting to do a TAFE diploma may reflect fewer offerings in the TAFE sector.</p>
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<p>What’s alarming is the disparity that remains between different groups of students. In particular, those related to disadvantage such as Indigeneity, low socioeconomic background and rurality.</p>
<h2>What else did the survey find?</h2>
<p>The 2015 PISA survey is a large-scale three-yearly study of more than half a million 15-year-olds in 72 countries, including 14,500 students in 750 Australian schools. It measures reading, science and maths literacy to determine how well prepared students are for the challenges of adult life. It’s managed internationally by the OECD and in Australia by ACER.</p>
<p>Educational pathways and prospects across OECD countries varied, despite some having similar cultures.</p>
<p>More than half (54%) of the Australian students surveyed in 2015 expected to go university. This is higher than the OECD average (44%), and students in Ireland (46%) and New Zealand (45%), but lower than those in Canada (64%) and the US (76%). </p>
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<p>Another 35% of Australian students expected to finish year 12 or a certificate four level qualification (generally associated with apprenticeships), compared to 23% internationally.</p>
<p>On average only a few Australian students (less than 3% nationally) expected to leave school before finishing Year 12.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/leaving-school-early-means-youre-likely-never-to-return-to-study-and-training-in-adult-life-79346">Leaving school early means you're likely never to return to study and training in adult life</a>
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<p>Across the states and territories, two-thirds (66%) of students in the ACT expected they would complete a university degree, compared to just 44% students in Tasmania. At the same time, around 8% of Tasmanian students – twice the national average – planned to leave school without completing year 12.</p>
<h2>Disadvantaged students’ expectations</h2>
<p>While it’s concerning that a smaller proportion of students are expecting to go to university than they did in 2003, the disparity between different groups of students is even more concerning.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-at-risk-young-people-are-turning-to-private-vet-providers-65315">More at-risk young people are turning to private VET providers</a>
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<p>Not only are there differences in their access to and <a href="https://www.ncsehe.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Equity-Student-Briefing-Note_FINAL.pdf">opportunity for further study</a>, the survey highlights the range of their expectations, and what that might represent for their future.</p>
<p>Further comparison of the educational expectations of various groups of students revealed some worrying patterns related to disadvantage: </p>
<ul>
<li>only 28% of Indigenous students, compared to 55% of non-Indigenous students, expected to complete a university degree</li>
<li>almost 40% of students at remote schools, compared to almost 60% of those attending metropolitan schools, expected to complete a university degree</li>
<li>some 34% of students in the lowest socioeconomic quartile, compared to almost 77% in the highest quartile, expected to complete a university degree</li>
<li>even among high achievers, fewer students from the lowest socioeconomic quartile said they expected to go to university (74%) compared to students from the highest socioeconomic quartile (92%).<br></li>
</ul>
<p>Interestingly, higher proportions of students from an immigrant background (both first-generation Australians and second-generation), compared to students born in Australia to Australian-born parents, expected to go to university.</p>
<h2>Why does this matter?</h2>
<p>Having different expectations for future education <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.5153/sro.3508">can impact students’ current experiences</a> of education, influence their motivation, behaviour and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/berj.3171">achievement at school</a> now.</p>
<p>For example, students who know they won’t be able to afford to move out of home to go to their chosen university may decide, consciously or not, to not put so much effort into their schoolwork if they can get into a different course at a local TAFE that requires a lower ATAR.</p>
<p>For young people, expectations for further study can also become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Those expecting to leave school early are <a href="https://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/publications/all-publications/educational-outcomes-the-impact-of-aspirations-and-the-role-of-student-background-characteristics">more likely to do so</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/students-own-low-expectations-can-reinforce-their-disadvantage-23501">Students' own low expectations can reinforce their disadvantage</a>
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<p>Students who expect to attend university are more likely to do so, and so gain access to improved social and labour markets outcomes. These include increased health and life expectancy, higher incomes and greater levels of wellbeing – the “health, wealth and happiness” trifecta.</p>
<p>For policymakers, expectations may be of more practical interest. A society may wish to see the general education of its population increase, to provide more well-informed citizens, ensure a supply of adequately trained scientists, engineers or doctors, or raise basic standards of literacy and wellbeing.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/99648/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sue Thomson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Although fewer Australian teens planned on going to university or TAFE than 15 years ago, figures were still higher than the OECD average.Sue Thomson, Deputy CEO (Research), Australian Council for Educational ResearchLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/896272018-01-31T09:01:04Z2018-01-31T09:01:04ZWhy British people don’t trust the government any more – and what can be done about it<p>Trust in politicians has fluctuated relatively little during the last 30 years in the UK. It remains stubbornly low. According to an index by the pollsters <a href="https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/trust-professions">Ipsos-Mori</a>, 18% of people said they trusted politicians in 1983, and 17% in 2017. Yet this hides some real changes that have taken place in recent years. As the rise of populist movements and decline of mainstream parties across Europe shows, the gap between politicians and citizens seems to grow ever wider.</p>
<p>Recent surveys of the British public’s attitudes towards welfare spending show similar paradoxical findings. The authoritative <a href="http://www.bsa.natcen.ac.uk/latest-report/british-social-attitudes-34/key-findings/a-backlash-against-austerity.aspx">British Social Attitudes survey</a> shows that most people want far higher government spending on pensions, healthcare and education – but this is coupled with a reluctance to pay higher taxes. The reason is that people don’t trust the government to spend their money wisely. </p>
<p>The recent <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42666275">scandals</a> involving the construction firm Carillion and private finance initiatives as well as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2011/jun/01/rise-and-fall-of-southern-cross">privatised social care</a> only enhance a longstanding mistrust in government. </p>
<p>We’ve recently completed a major <a href="https://blogs.kent.ac.uk/welfsoc/">research project</a> comparing people’s attitudes and beliefs about <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/after-austerity-9780198790266?cc=gb&lang=en&">the future of the welfare state</a> in five European countries. To do this we held “democratic forums” in Copenhagen, Berlin, Oslo, Ljubljana and Birmingham. These consisted of extended group discussions over two days with 30 to 40 participants, who framed the debates themselves. They were tasked to reflect on the following question: “What benefits and services should [your national government] offer in 2040?”</p>
<h2>No confidence in the system</h2>
<p>Our <a href="http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/tpp/pap/pre-prints/content-pppolicypol1700048r2">findings</a> from the UK leg of the research show the main issue in discussions about the future of the welfare state is not so much a mistrust of individual politicians as a lack of confidence in the system as a whole. “The government” – regardless of the party in power – is perceived to make bad decisions. It wastes money, supports those whose actions damage society, penalises those who take responsibility for themselves and fails to address real conflicts and needs, putting the services people actually want under severe threat. </p>
<p>On waste, one retired woman said: “There is a lot of waste in publicly funded things, because nobody feels that it’s real money.” Another woman, who was living on a low income, said: “We don’t know where the money’s going and it’s going fast … stop giving too much to other countries.” </p>
<p>Immigration is perceived as a further burden, and one that the government is failing to control. One man, on a mid-level income said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>You allow immigration more and more and more, the government have to spend more money on benefits for them instead of putting the money into education and social care and other kind of stuff.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Another woman, who was unemployed, said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Obviously, if we keep going on as we are now, there’ll be a lack of housing and space to house people … Again, it puts a strain on the NHS … we’re not the promised land, you know. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Higher, progressive tax was rejected because participants believed that people deserve to keep what they earn. One woman on a low income said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I don’t have a problem if somebody is going to work and they are earning the money and the company they’re working for is prepared to pay them an extortionate amount of money, OK … why shouldn’t they take that home?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But this renders valued services, such as pensions and healthcare, unsustainable. One woman on a low income said “the NHS will be gone in five years”, while another who was unemployed said: “I don’t think there will be a state pension in 2040.” </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203826/original/file-20180129-89577-1q8zgft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203826/original/file-20180129-89577-1q8zgft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203826/original/file-20180129-89577-1q8zgft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203826/original/file-20180129-89577-1q8zgft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203826/original/file-20180129-89577-1q8zgft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203826/original/file-20180129-89577-1q8zgft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203826/original/file-20180129-89577-1q8zgft.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A 2012 protest in London against pension cuts.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/xpgomes12/8106460428/sizes/l">xpgomes12/flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
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<p>The big difference between the UK and Denmark, Germany, Norway and Slovenia was that people in other countries recognised issues such as immigration pressures or the rising cost of healthcare and pensions, but then moved on to discuss policies to manage them. The UK participants stood out for their general mistrust – elsewhere people had confidence in the capacity of government to deal with the challenges. </p>
<h2>Let people take responsibility</h2>
<p>These democratic forums show that there is more to how people think than assuming their complaints are against the irresponsible workshy and immigrants who demand benefits. Many people believe that current policies actively promote behaviour that is threatening to society. Money is wasted, tax is unfair, key public services will collapse under current pressures – and yet the government still promotes irresponsible behaviour. </p>
<p>One way forward would involve social investment in state services that help people to take greater responsibility for themselves. Participants emphasised their support for better access to childcare services – for those who work – and greater training opportunities. For instance they suggested companies could be given tax incentives to provide more apprenticeships and run day nurseries, and that more could be spent on further education for early school leavers rather than universities for sixth formers. Retraining opportunities for people who are looking to further their employment opportunities at an advanced stage of their careers should also be encouraged by government initiatives.</p>
<p>Addressing the current mistrust of government does not mean rolling back the state, but rather putting the emphasis on social provision that is seen to be fair. Stressing the positive contribution of the welfare state by promoting social investment is a possible way forward. </p>
<p>Given Britain’s existing socio-economic challenges, and the likelihood of a very delicate transition following the Brexit vote, society must work to rebuild trust between citizens and the government. Failure to achieve this could lead to further instability and uncertainty over the future of welfare policy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/89627/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Taylor-Gooby receives funding from Norface, the EU and Economic and Social Research Council. He is affiliated with the Labour Party. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Benjamin Leruth previously received funding from Norface.</span></em></p>New research on the future of the welfare state found people lack confidence in the whole system of government, rather than individual politicians.Peter Taylor-Gooby, Professor of Social Policy, University of KentBenjamin Leruth, Assistant Professor in Politics and Public Administration, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/881522017-12-15T01:43:02Z2017-12-15T01:43:02ZSo you’ve got your ATAR, now what? Here are some options<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199344/original/file-20171215-16428-3p3xwd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Regardless of your ATAR, it's important to keep vocational pathways in mind, not as a lesser option, but as a way of getting experience in an industry you're interested in. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Over the last week, year 12 students around the country received their Australian Tertiary Admissions Ranking (<a href="http://www.uac.edu.au/atar/">ATAR</a>). For many students, these results are accompanied by celebration and relief. </p>
<p>However, for those whose results are not what they were expecting or hoping for, there may be frustration and disappointment. </p>
<p>The release of ATAR results is a chance for all students who have put in a preference to study at university in 2018 to review their preferences, and think about where they want to go.</p>
<h2>Why do students receive an ATAR?</h2>
<p>The ATAR is a ranking used by universities to sort potential students for admission to their courses. </p>
<p>The ATAR has support from many experts and universities for three main reasons:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>it’s an efficient way to sort students quickly for admission to high demand courses</p></li>
<li><p>it uses a student’s final year subject scores, which makes it reasonably reliable</p></li>
<li><p>it’s fairly transparent, in that students can see what the minimum “cut off” score was for a particular course for the previous year. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>But there have been a number of complaints in recent times.</p>
<p>First, there’s <a href="https://www.ncsehe.edu.au/publications/completing-university-in-a-growing-sector-is-equity-an-issue/">evidence</a> the ATAR is not equitable for disadvantaged students. It’s well regarded ATAR results are biased toward high socio-economic students. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/should-we-scrap-the-atar-what-are-the-alternative-options-experts-comment-55501">Should we scrap the ATAR? What are the alternative options? Experts comment</a>
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<p>Second, universities have been <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/nsw-universities-taking-students-with-atars-as-low-as-30-20160125-gmdvr6.html">accused</a> of gaming the system by admitting students below the published cut off scores. </p>
<h2>What to do now you have your ATAR</h2>
<p>Whether you got the score you were hoping for or not, it’s important to keep in mind the ATAR is just one measure you will receive in your life. It does not determine your <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/sites/default/files/cses/pdfs/the-academic-performance-of-first-year-students-at-VU-by-entry-score-and-SES-2009-2013.pdf">future grades</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/atar-found-to-be-a-poor-predictor-of-how-well-students-do-at-uni-41677">ATAR found to be a poor predictor of how well students do at uni</a>
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<p><strong>Consider all of your options</strong></p>
<p>If you have your heart set on attending a particular university, the first step is talking to the admissions office. A number of universities now offer bridging programs for students who are not eligible for direct entry.</p>
<p>For example, if you wish to study Engineering at Monash University, you may be eligible to apply for <a href="https://www.monash.edu/engineering/future-students/how-to-apply/pathways-to-monash-engineering">Monash College</a>. Students who are successful in that program are guaranteed entry into the second year of the Bachelor of Engineering degree.</p>
<p><strong>Have a look at different institutions</strong></p>
<p>There are two main options if you’re set on a particular course:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>look at different institutions to see if they offer a similar course</p></li>
<li><p>look at different types of qualifications that match your interests.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>The tertiary education landscape has more options than ever before. There’s no longer a neat distinction between what is offered at TAFEs and universities. </p>
<p>Just as many universities now offer Advanced Diplomas and online credentials, many TAFE providers now offer industry-focused training that may be a bridge to employment, or to further study.</p>
<p><strong>Most of all, the ATAR is just one measure</strong></p>
<p>University isn’t the best option for everyone straight out of school. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01596306.2016.1173650">Studies</a> have shown <a href="https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/reigniting-higher-education-admissions-reform">many students</a> choose a university pathway because they feel they’re expected to, not because they really want to pursue that field. Too often, <a href="https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/review_of_the_demand_driven_funding_system_report_for_the_website.pdf">these students don’t complete their degrees</a>. </p>
<p>In Australia, a large number of university places are supported through the <a href="http://studyassist.gov.au/sites/studyassist/helppayingmyfees/csps/pages/commonwealth-supported-places">Commonwealth Supported Places</a> scheme. Recently, there’s been significant pressure placed on universities to improve completion rates, particularly for young people admitted with ATARs below 60.</p>
<p>Regardless of your ATAR, it’s important to keep vocational pathways in mind, not as a lesser option, but as a way of getting experience in an industry you’re interested in. </p>
<p>The premium placed on university entrance has been said to have contributed to a <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-30/concern-over-trade-skills-shortage-as-university-enrolments-rise/9210254">skills shortage</a> in many industries. Many of these industries offer <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-29/university-students-dropping-out-in-record-numbers/9203636">good prospects</a> for employment and personal growth into the future.</p>
<h2>Does the ATAR have a future in university admissions?</h2>
<p>There’s a lot of misinformation about what future employers look for in graduates. Recent <a href="https://grattan.edu.au/report/mapping-australian-higher-education-2014-15/">research</a> shows most employers aren’t particularly concerned about what institution you went to. </p>
<p>Many industries are relying <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryancraig/2016/10/01/competency-based-hiring-10-signals-the-shift-is-happening/#10c5758b14b0">less and less</a> on formal qualifications and more on relevant experiences, a good fit with their culture, and characteristics like <a href="http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_FOJ_Executive_Summary_Jobs.pdf">emotional intelligence</a>.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/demand-for-people-skills-is-growing-faster-than-demand-for-stem-skills-86754">Demand for people skills is growing faster than demand for STEM skills</a>
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<p>With the release of this year’s result, high profile CEOs such as <a href="https://twitter.com/toddsampsonOz/status/941078168689041408">Todd Sampson</a> have hit out against the ATAR, suggesting factors such as the ability to make a difference are more important than scores.</p>
<p>It’s worth keeping in mind a young person graduating school today is <a href="https://www.fya.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/The-New-Work-Mindset.pdf">likely</a> to have around 17 changes in employers across five different careers. </p>
<p>As a graduating student in 2017, it’s also likely you’ll have multiple recurrent interactions with different types of education. Undergraduate university entrance is just one of those possibilities.</p>
<p>Receiving your high school certificate is a huge achievement that should be celebrated. </p>
<p>While there’s a tendency for the media to focus on the ATAR, it’s important to remember it’s just one number, and it doesn’t determine where you will go in the future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/88152/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shane Duggan receives funding from the Australian Government, Department of Education and Training. </span></em></p>Students should consider all their options and remember the ATAR is just one measure that doesn’t necessarily dictate how well they will do in future.Shane Duggan, Vice Chancellor's Postdoctoral research fellow, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/650122016-09-07T13:35:48Z2016-09-07T13:35:48ZLearn to love colleges – before they disappear<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136895/original/image-20160907-25279-12689a5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Empty seats. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/29203742@N02/8543791544/in/photolist-e1ZayL-r3hLV2-r38Ld4-24LhP-ERXZZ-6Kef1C-8RVec-89xCbV-fHTV6-7CiWeV-6wmgck-hmrmPy-9rDjDD-7oiWag-dkEt5g-q8pU4E-ozRC1H-6akUXN-ddfwgR-sozjAU-bRSE8t-8GfiFn-6chQ8v-6akXL5-6agNKD-da9dnT-mA7EHE-6zoCEw-5E5xAJ-6akXE3-e6PRNT-GHoZ3h-r3qsYp-M92Pr-qD2ik9-g5SL9T-qpMFov-qNXtsd-bUqc9U-cpswQj-q6hHPW-4yFw22-eu9Q3D-ovdRBH-5XExCC-61xF7P-ot3Xoh-r3cYqo-5Y5syR-5pQFtx">Fiona Skinner</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s the start of a new term again at further education colleges across the UK, but it must be difficult for many students and staff to be enthusiastic about the year ahead. The whole college system is going through its biggest period of reform since the 1990s. Much of it is drastic and irreversible, and few outside the sector appear to be paying much attention.</p>
<p>British colleges are nothing less than a powerhouse for the economy. They support a surprising range of multi-billion pound industries, including motoring, construction, oil and gas, catering, tourism and health and beauty. There will be a college graduate supporting crucial functions within nearly every organisation. </p>
<p>Colleges also employ highly-skilled staff who are currently fighting to maintain conditions and quality of provision. They have had to live with 10% budget <a href="http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/uploads/docs/report/2016/nr_160825_scotlands_colleges.pdf">cuts</a> on <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/10/tories-further-education-cuts-david-cameron">average</a> across <a href="http://www.audit.wales/sites/default/files/download_documents/FEI-briefing-paper-english.pdf">the</a> UK over the last six years in the face of government austerity. </p>
<p>Wales and more recently Scotland have been at the forefront of reform by merging numerous institutions to form larger regional colleges. One example, <a href="http://www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk">Edinburgh College</a>, was formed from the mergers of Stevenson, Jewel and Esk and Telford colleges in 2012. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136896/original/image-20160907-25240-cnpvc1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136896/original/image-20160907-25240-cnpvc1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136896/original/image-20160907-25240-cnpvc1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136896/original/image-20160907-25240-cnpvc1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136896/original/image-20160907-25240-cnpvc1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136896/original/image-20160907-25240-cnpvc1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=498&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136896/original/image-20160907-25240-cnpvc1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=498&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136896/original/image-20160907-25240-cnpvc1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=498&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Former Jewel and Esk Valley college in east Edinburgh.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2881947">Geograph</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Now England is undergoing a similar process, with the UK government carrying out phased area reviews since last year. Where the Scottish and Welsh governments’ proposals <a href="http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2011/09/15103949/15">were</a> largely sold as <a href="http://gov.wales/docs/dcells/publications/100301transformationpolicyen.pdf">providing</a> a regionalised response to industry and community needs with a more streamlined offering, England has added an <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/446516/BIS-15-433-reviewing-post-16-education-policy.pdf">explicit mandate</a> to reduce costs. The proposals cite the need for resilient and efficient larger organisations to help tackle the country’s financial deficit. </p>
<p>The English public would do well to look north and west to see how their two neighbours have fared. In Scotland, <a href="http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/docs/central/2015/nr_150402_scotlands_colleges.pdf">the reforms</a> do not <a href="http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/uploads/docs/report/2016/nr_160825_scotlands_colleges.pdf">appear</a> to be making colleges better placed to serve industry. Scotland is predicting annual savings of £50m by 2020, around 10% of total spend, though this doesn’t take account of merger costs such as redundancies. </p>
<p>The price is a <a href="http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/uploads/docs/report/2016/nr_160825_scotlands_colleges.pdf">9% drop </a> in full-time equivalent staff, reduced student numbers (for example a <a href="http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/docs/central/2015/nr_150402_scotlands_colleges.pdf">41% drop</a> in over 25s studying) and severe cuts to courses – including a <a href="http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/docs/central/2015/nr_150402_scotlands_colleges.pdf">48% reduction</a> in part-time courses between 2009 and 2015. Budgets are <a href="http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/uploads/docs/report/2016/nr_160825_scotlands_colleges.pdf">down 18%</a> in the past six years – well in excess of the UK average. </p>
<h2>Gone unnoticed</h2>
<p>If the college sector is to be the cornerstone of <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/180504/DFE-00031-2011.pdf">economic recovery</a> in the UK, it is hard to see how a sector crippled by such swingeing funding cuts can respond effectively. Yet the lack of objection from the wider public has been striking. </p>
<p>The only significant protests have been by college staff, including strikes over pay and conditions – <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-37280475">recent industrial action</a> in Scotland for college support workers being the latest example. There has been commentary in the further education press, but that is largely read only within the sector. It doesn’t seem to have filtered through to the national consciousness. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136893/original/image-20160907-25257-1rmknoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136893/original/image-20160907-25257-1rmknoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136893/original/image-20160907-25257-1rmknoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136893/original/image-20160907-25257-1rmknoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136893/original/image-20160907-25257-1rmknoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136893/original/image-20160907-25257-1rmknoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136893/original/image-20160907-25257-1rmknoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136893/original/image-20160907-25257-1rmknoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Canteen at City of Glasgow College.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/gav195/4336074334/in/photolist-7BavQj-8yff8n-8NM6iG-ophkyX-6u2CPE-dVz13r-6tXj3M-41ipyF-6tXn7R-ehWuLu-xKZqQ-soUxgZ-6u2yFq-oB2m1H-6tXtPZ-e3gbsE-6tXiUt-atCBTF-v3bL13-41nEJq-8qY67T-sppGDq-ob2DGe-7yu8n2-9UXtVd-6u2yhN-yAsVQ-ohdrHc-8LW7SC-e9h2fa-6tXiAt-mB7itF-wRMZi-4iZVLi-8r2e61-6u2vmd-FipiX-41nE1o-bNo25c-6u2uT3-41nF63-77MduV-muSSXC-pUWvRo-cHmxb5-dR8sQn-8bvQBP-nEacdq-3jJx2X-4BaFUC">Gavin Ritchie</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So why have the restructuring and funding cuts largely gone unnoticed? Why are there not debates in pubs and offices the length of the country? If funding had been cut in schools in this way, there would be public outcry. Or imagine what would happen if you reduced part-time university places by 48%. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/apr/15/secondary-schools-sharpest-cuts-funding-since-1970s-thinktank">Schools</a> and <a href="http://russellgroup.ac.uk/news/university-funding-cuts/">universities</a> have seen cuts to government funding in recent years, too, but they have been less severe. And where universities can offset government cuts with student fees, including lucrative international ones, UK colleges are free at the point of use. </p>
<p>In terms of perception, the difference with schools is arguably that most of us went to one. Even if we didn’t enjoy it, we fundamentally understand their (supposed) purpose and accept it as part of our national structure. And all the way through school, we hear about universities. Indeed, schools are in many ways structured to lead us there, offering students a progression towards the <a href="http://www.a-levels.co.uk">A-levels</a> or <a href="https://www.ucas.com/ucas/undergraduate/getting-started/entry-requirements/tariff/scottish-highers">Highers</a> in their senior years that will equip them for first year at university. </p>
<p>The UK has placed such value on higher education <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/features/danny-dorling-six-trends-in-university-admissions/2018407.article">that nearly</a> 40% of school leavers now go directly on to become university undergraduates – vastly <a href="http://www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/sn04252.pdf">more than</a> a generation ago. Arguably one result has been that further education has suffered from a crisis in prestige and a lack of public understanding of its critical role in supporting the economy. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136897/original/image-20160907-25272-2w05s4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136897/original/image-20160907-25272-2w05s4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136897/original/image-20160907-25272-2w05s4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136897/original/image-20160907-25272-2w05s4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136897/original/image-20160907-25272-2w05s4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136897/original/image-20160907-25272-2w05s4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136897/original/image-20160907-25272-2w05s4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136897/original/image-20160907-25272-2w05s4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Who better?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-144197953/stock-photo-black-graduation-cap-with-degree-isolated-on-white-background.html?src=hBpNNRkCqh9ZEP7172brJQ-1-6">Mega Pixel</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Misunderstood colleges</h2>
<p>Further education can feel like a lesser cousin, a place for those supposedly not good enough to study elsewhere. This is simply not true. The UK’s colleges provide some of the greatest learning opportunities and life chances available within the education system. </p>
<p>Apprenticeships in skilled disciplines supported by time-served and highly-valued experts in colleges are far more important than the UK as a nation recognises. Providing second-chance education to adults is also critical. In particular, it entails lifelong access to learning for impoverished communities. Neither schools nor universities are equipped to provide these services.</p>
<p>It is time to get excited about our colleges and start demanding that our government does much more to protect them. It is not wrong to change a system or sector – far from it. But change needs to be sustainable and delivered for the right reasons, and it is currently unclear if this is really the case with UK colleges. Without a groundswell in national support, I fear that one day we will wake up to find they have all but disappeared.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65012/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gary Husband does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Welcome to further education – unloved cousin of schools and universities.Gary Husband, Lecturer, University of StirlingLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/588282016-05-04T09:53:32Z2016-05-04T09:53:32ZFree university tuition will help SNP defend a very mixed record on education<p>How has education fared in Scotland since the SNP was re-elected in 2011? The first thing to say is that the Scottish government has successfully seen through a major curriculum reform. Launched in 2004 under the <a href="http://www.gov.scot/About/Government/sgprevious/sgprevious2003-2007">Labour-Lib Dem administration</a>, the <a href="http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/learningandteaching/thecurriculum/whatiscurriculumforexcellence/">Curriculum for Excellence</a> (CfE) covers all learners from aged three upwards. It seeks to shift the focus away from content and knowledge towards enabling learners to achieve more generic outcomes. </p>
<p>The CfE organises all education around four broad capabilities – aiming to make all pupils “successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors” for the rest of their lives. By involving teachers in developing new teaching materials and adopting a rather traditional subject-based focus, the Scottish government for the most part managed to avoid confrontations with teacher unions – albeit there is <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-36198992">talk</a> of action over the extra workload pressure on teachers that the CfE has created. </p>
<p>The principles have been accepted by all the major political parties – but is the CfE really a major reform? In 2015 the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development <a href="http://www.oecd.org/education/school/Improving-Schools-in-Scotland-An-OECD-Perspective.pdf">positively reviewed</a> the implementation of the Scottish education system, but it also accepted that the Scottish government had not collected the evidence to allow a rigorous evaluation of the initiative itself. It warned that the next stage of the policy would be at risk unless the government rectified this.</p>
<p>Some independent evidence does exist, however. My colleague Mark Priestley, who has been studying the new curriculum since its inception, has <a href="http://www.scotedreview.org.uk/media/scottish-educational-review/articles/355.pdf">found that</a> while most teachers welcomed the underlying philosophy, they have tended to stick to existing practices and retained many features of the previous curriculum. What the OECD praised as “elasticity” was often viewed by teachers as a lack of clarity and focus. Still, in spite of its limitations, I think it is probably fair to mark CfE as a success for the SNP. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/121062/original/image-20160503-5832-1in0w11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/121062/original/image-20160503-5832-1in0w11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/121062/original/image-20160503-5832-1in0w11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/121062/original/image-20160503-5832-1in0w11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/121062/original/image-20160503-5832-1in0w11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/121062/original/image-20160503-5832-1in0w11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=520&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/121062/original/image-20160503-5832-1in0w11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=520&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/121062/original/image-20160503-5832-1in0w11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=520&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Craigroyston Primary in Edinburgh.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/dennajones/4406612291/in/photolist-7Hp3iZ-8sA2ef-7HqkSK-7HsVUU-hrdyn-7Hughs-gP54gd-7HsWmo-9KMCTz-dd57Gn-dAeyLk-8RQ5s2-pEL59L-dzGTzL-7HucEU-qNNrLg-XYigr-7Huf5h-iz76Z-nTmPNq-5imMhF-8xvYDu-9NJybd-9M2DUT-4J8rvU-r81eNn-iKpsgk-gyBVrb-9NF1UU-51igoT-rgjz8T-7HoZR4-gP54pu-7oLF4Y-7Hp2g4-6YEQDy-7HugBL-qBKLrT-7HudDJ-7Hudf5-dsJVLT-6YANRk-7HuckS-nRp6L7-7HuejA-7HqkKX-7HueYf-7HueR5-qkj5rc-7HqiBi">Denna Jones</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Learners great and small</h2>
<p>The picture elsewhere is far from perfect and there are difficulties and challenges in every sector – from early years to adult learning. Only higher education seems like an SNP success, at least at first glance. The government has <a href="http://www.thenational.scot/politics/snp-pledge-to-protect-free-higher-education.12176">maintained its commitment</a> to free university tuition for all, while <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/12179962/Row-over-SNP-funding-cuts-for-poor-university-students.html">cutting grants</a> for the poorest students without anyone much noticing. It has slightly increased university funding to compensate for the absence of fee income and it has managed to push through a <a href="http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Better-university-governance-1a12.aspx">reform of</a> university governance, winning the argument against strong opposition (at least by university standards). </p>
<p>But, under the surface, Scottish higher education faces serious challenges. A series of studies have <a href="http://www.docs.hss.ed.ac.uk/education/creid/NewsEvents/57_iii_WA_PPT_Riddell.pdf">shown that</a> university entry rates for the poorest and the state-educated are significantly below England and Wales. So far, the government has preferred to respond simply by restating its commitment to free tuition. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/121061/original/image-20160503-23604-jnoowg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/121061/original/image-20160503-23604-jnoowg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/121061/original/image-20160503-23604-jnoowg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/121061/original/image-20160503-23604-jnoowg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/121061/original/image-20160503-23604-jnoowg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=406&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/121061/original/image-20160503-23604-jnoowg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=510&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/121061/original/image-20160503-23604-jnoowg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=510&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/121061/original/image-20160503-23604-jnoowg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=510&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Trouble between the shelves?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/viictoria4/6798696063/in/photolist-bmM6tD-ju1QXw-jsngfc-a8aMDz-94hu83-9Epw6b-fhvYG-oAwFxA-cigQb7-5zuXs-7HrMgU-qnTzCZ-gajZdb-dYoK3-oTbCT4-nRRfj9-huEE4B-cbJC3j-9rASBS-58ANxk-fbzY6M-27bLw3-5ucBEK-3mgzri-bUnrYx-9QTytQ-6MvBSs-6UKAXh-ct87Au-rKmXZ-j1TnXz-9QQLx2-8ivmEx-277iFn-v1rn4-2iQ7Y5-ruwZLD-94epvr-q1zK4u-cuDNSy-niGJWJ-raTq3V-dtAceP-fPxGqz-qWV3B8-8XmZ6w-mXwrKw-9Mtiwt-kjCg74-e9TGv8">Vic.</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<p>In early years education, there can be no doubting the Scottish government’s ambitions – but the number of trained specialists working in the sector <a href="http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/nursery-world/news/1155989/scotland-will-miss-education-goals-with-falling-early-years-teacher-numbers">is falling</a> at a time when demand is expected to rise. I think this has to be classed as making a superficial effort but not actually doing much.</p>
<p>Further education has been put through the mill. Overall funding for colleges has been <a href="http://www.stv.tv/scotland/1335559-lecturers-protest-over-draconian-cuts-to-scotlands-colleges/">systematically reduced</a> since 2011 and colleges have been told to <a href="http://www.scottishpolicynow.co.uk/article/chill-winds-blow-on-further-education">prioritise</a> their full-time and higher-education courses for young people. The number of colleges <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-34373613">has been reduced</a> from 37 to 20 through a top-down merger programme, intended partly to achieve future efficiency savings of £50m a year from 2016. There have <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-35730342">also been</a> strikes over pay levels in colleges. Overall, the SNP policies for colleges look messy.</p>
<p>Although the government published a forward-looking <a href="http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/Images/AdultLearningStatementofAmbition_tcm4-826940.pdf">Statement of Ambition on adult learning</a>, in practice it has presided over drastic cutbacks and the adult learning sector has suffered particularly badly as a result of the cuts to college budgets. Part-time student numbers in colleges <a href="http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Lifelong-learning/TrendFEStudents">have fallen</a> by half since 2008. Meanwhile, the government’s freeze on council taxes has meant that local authorities have reduced discretionary spending, including their spending on adult-learning services, and reduced grants to voluntary adult-education providers. The impression of neglect wasn’t helped by a minister <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/sneering-adult-learners">who mocked</a> the part-time computing courses that she was closing as “how to click on a mouse”. </p>
<p>So we have a pretty mixed bag – but one that is unlikely to harm the SNP electorally. Whatever its shortcomings in other areas, the party has turned free tuition into a flagship policy, something that is both highly popular and which visibly distinguishes Scotland from England – in nationalist Scotland, that will do nicely.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/58828/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Field has received funding from the Economic and Social Research Council and chairs Scotland's Learning Partnership, which represents adult learners across Scotland, but the views expressed here are entirely his own.
</span></em></p>A few notable successes, but could do better.John Field, Professor Emeritus, Lifelong Learning, University of StirlingLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/446832015-07-16T10:04:01Z2015-07-16T10:04:01ZHow to help young people with autism stay on in education after school<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/88529/original/image-20150715-26319-11j5zmw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The transition between school and further education can be difficult for young people with learning difficulties. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Teenagers at school via l i g h t p o e t/www.shutterstock.com </span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Fewer than <a href="http://www.aettraininghubs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/13.2-Finished_at_School.pdf">one in four</a> young people with autism continue their education after school. Too often, colleges and universities are just not equipped or well-enough prepared to support young people with autism to move into further or higher education. There are also problems with their transition from school. Even where schools do provide support for young people with autism, there are often few links between schools and colleges to help a young person on to the next stage of his or her education.</p>
<p>However, a new law that came into force in 2014 enshrined the right of young people with special educational needs and disabilities to get support in education and training up until the age of 25. The <a href="https://www.gov.uk/children-with-special-educational-needs/extra-SEN-help">education, health and care plan</a> for young people, introduced by the <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2014/6/contents/enacted">Children’s and Families Act 2014</a> also provided for each young person to receive a personal budget for that support. Local authorities are obliged to ensure that the amount of direct payments allocated to each young person is sufficient to secure their agreed provision of education.</p>
<p>As a result of these changes to the law, further education colleges are required to accept new responsibilities relating to education for young people with special educational needs and disabilities. To help colleges prepare for changes relating to young people with autism, the Department for Education commissioned the autism charity, <a href="http://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/">Ambitious about Autism</a>, to run a programme aimed at improving educational opportunities for young people with autism after they leave school.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/88531/original/image-20150715-26314-c6gx3i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/88531/original/image-20150715-26314-c6gx3i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=904&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88531/original/image-20150715-26314-c6gx3i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=904&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88531/original/image-20150715-26314-c6gx3i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=904&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88531/original/image-20150715-26314-c6gx3i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1136&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88531/original/image-20150715-26314-c6gx3i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1136&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/88531/original/image-20150715-26314-c6gx3i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1136&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Helping young people choose their next step.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Autism via Constantin Stanciu/www.shutterstock.com</span></span>
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<p>The <a href="http://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/who-we-are/campaigns/finished-at-school-programme">Finished at School</a> programme ran from April 2013 until March 2015. Working with its partners, <a href="http://www.nasen.org.uk/">Nasen</a>, and the <a href="http://www.aoc.co.uk/">Association of Colleges</a>, the charity built upon its earlier campaign for better educational opportunities for young people with autism. The 110 young people involved in the programme all had a diagnosis of autism that was “complex”, meaning that it was associated with other learning difficulties. The young people were between the ages of 14 and 19, and were all preparing to make a transition in their education at the end of Years 11 or 13.</p>
<p>Finished at School involved four college hubs, each working with three local partner secondary schools to support the young people with autism to make a successful transition to education after school – be that university or a further education college. </p>
<h2>Making a successful transition</h2>
<p>The programme was evaluated by our team from the <a href="http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/cedar">Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research</a> at the University of Warwick. The evaluation collected data from school, college, and local authority staff, along with the young people with autism, their parents and carers, and the <a href="http://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/sites/default/files/Evaluation%20Report.pdf">final report</a> had some very positive findings.</p>
<p>Of the 110 young people involved in the programme, all 45 who left school at the end of the 2014 summer term made successful transitions to continued education, with 34 of them progressing to general further education colleges. In addition, four made successful transitions to specialist further education colleges, and seven to school sixth forms. The rest of the 110 young people will make their transitions in the coming years. </p>
<p>The young people who took part in the evaluation gave accounts of how good transition planning under the programme had helped them take up new opportunities. One young person with anxiety issues explained: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The college link with my school helped a lot, and the taster days too. I came to the college every Thursday, and that was good. The taster days gave us an impression of what they do. I wanted to see what site I wanted to be in. I decided to come to this site because it’s more, like, calm. It’s very small, and it’s very calm and everyone is just really nice.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Young people at the centre of the decision</h2>
<p>Another important success came with a three-day training programme for college and school staff involved with supporting the young people’s transition to college. The core of the training focused on an approach that recognised that what matters most is the young person’s voice about their own future and needs. The training proved to be highly valued by staff. </p>
<p>The programme also helped improve and extend local partnerships using the project hubs. These, in turn, were linked in to pre-existing strategic planning forums and partnership boards with roles in provision and support for young people with autism. At the college level, all the participating colleges also amended their strategic plans to write in support for learners with autism. </p>
<p>More can be definitely be done to support young people with autism as they make choices about what to do after school. The programme demonstrated that along with appropriate support, locally-coordinated transition plans that put young people with autism at the centre means many more young people with autism, including complex autism, can access local college life successfully.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/44683/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stephen Cullen works at the University of Warwick's Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research (CEDAR), which received funding from Ambitious about Autism, through a competitive tendering process, in order to evaluate the Finished at School programme. The evaluation was required as a condition of DfE funding received by Ambitious about Autism to develop and run the programme.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mairi Ann Cullen works at the University of Warwick's Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research (CEDAR), which received funding from Ambitious about Autism, through a competitive tendering process, in order to evaluate the Finished at School programme. The evaluation was required as a condition of DfE funding received by Ambitious about Autism to develop and run the programme.</span></em></p>New partnerships between schools and colleges have helped more children with autism continue in further education.Stephen M. Cullen, Senior Research Fellow, University of WarwickMairi Ann Cullen, Senior Research Fellow , University of WarwickLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/292452014-07-18T08:42:01Z2014-07-18T08:42:01ZCost of student visa clampdown weighs heavily on colleges<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/54109/original/qd5dcq88-1405587550.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1%2C55%2C998%2C598&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Access denied, for some higher education colleges. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-162892850/stock-photo-uk-visa-in-passport-closeup.html?src=Udq-3nl7DgFVY2JEHBpW_A-1-27">UK passport via xdrew/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The British government’s recent <a href="http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/home-office-student-visa-clampdown-rocks-sector/2014151.article">decision to suspend the licences</a> of one university and 57 private further education colleges to sponsor international students has generated shockwaves across the sector. Another two universities are no longer able to sponsor new international students, pending further investigation. Overseas students bring in substantial revenue to higher education, and the denial of access to this income source will present the affected institutions with significant financial challenges. </p>
<p>Across the sector, 30% of all fee income comes from students domiciled outside the UK and EU. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/54025/original/747xg5hs-1405528751.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/54025/original/747xg5hs-1405528751.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/54025/original/747xg5hs-1405528751.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=190&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54025/original/747xg5hs-1405528751.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=190&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54025/original/747xg5hs-1405528751.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=190&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54025/original/747xg5hs-1405528751.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=239&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54025/original/747xg5hs-1405528751.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=239&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54025/original/747xg5hs-1405528751.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=239&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<p>Of course, universities also have <a href="https://theconversation.com/hard-evidence-are-universities-getting-more-money-for-teaching-25940">other sources of income</a> – from research activity, endowments, funding council grants and so on. But on average overseas student fees still account for more than 12% of all revenues in the sector. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/54026/original/8g2vy89d-1405528831.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/54026/original/8g2vy89d-1405528831.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/54026/original/8g2vy89d-1405528831.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=216&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54026/original/8g2vy89d-1405528831.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=216&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54026/original/8g2vy89d-1405528831.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=216&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54026/original/8g2vy89d-1405528831.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=271&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54026/original/8g2vy89d-1405528831.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=271&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/54026/original/8g2vy89d-1405528831.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=271&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<p>The financial sustainability of some institutions is clearly put at risk by the recent move. A <a href="http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/glyndwr-planted-the-seeds-of-its-financial-woe-some-time-ago/2014550.article">report in Times Higher Education</a> points to ongoing financial woes at one of the affected universities, Glyndwr. Whatever the rights and wrongs are of the decision to withdraw the licences to sponsor international students, all of the affected institutions have a clear incentive to respond quickly by changing their procedures in order to restore confidence.</p>
<h2>Where responsiblity lies</h2>
<p>It is entirely appropriate that students entering the UK to study should be able to demonstrate they have the prerequisite set of skills – and this includes ability to learn in the language they will be taught in. Higher education providers should not admit students without these skills, and they should take reasonable precautions to ensure that they do not. </p>
<p>In so doing colleges often rely on tests conducted by third parties, <a href="https://theconversation.com/not-all-english-tests-for-foreign-students-are-fraudulent-23108">most of which</a> are very reputable. But a <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26024375">BBC Panorama investigation</a> in February 2014 provided evidence of fraud in one of the testing systems. </p>
<p>Ensuring that students who ought not to be admitted are not let in requires integrity both in institutions’ own admissions procedures and in the testing mechanisms. If sanctions are to be imposed on higher education providers, it needs to be clear that it is these providers themselves that are responsible for the failure in the selection process. But institutions that have innocently relied on testing systems that are now shown to be suspect should not be penalised for the shortcomings of those systems.</p>
<h2>Damaging migration rules</h2>
<p>The decision to withdraw licences to sponsor international students only reinforces the rhetoric surrounding the government’s stance on migration. Although qualified students remain welcome to study at UK institutions of higher education, <a href="https://theconversation.com/immigration-rhetoric-is-a-threat-to-britains-long-term-growth-27248">this rhetoric</a> has served to make the UK a tougher sell for universities. </p>
<p>This has become a particularly acute problem with the government’s persistent with a policy to include students within its net migration target, despite <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10934148/Students-must-be-stripped-out-of-immigration-figures.html">widespread calls</a> for a change to its policy. </p>
<p>Changes in visa regulations mean that overseas students graduating from postgraduate programmes are no longer entitled to stay in the UK for a couple of years to work once they complete their studies. This was an entitlement that many used to take up as a means of paying for their studies. </p>
<p>All of this means that institutions with unimpeachable admissions processes have been adversely affected too, as Cardiff University’s vice chancellor Colin Riordan has <a href="https://theconversation.com/drop-in-overseas-students-adds-to-universities-cash-woes-25451">pointed out on The Conversation</a>. The overall number of Indian students coming to study in the <a href="https://www.hesa.ac.uk/pr184">UK fell by almost a quarter</a> in a single year following announcement of the visa change in 2011-12. It <a href="http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/year/2014/201408a/name,86921,en.html">fell again in 2013</a>. </p>
<p>The wider impact of this is significant. Using a methodology that <a href="http://gianlucasalvatori.nova100.ilsole24ore.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/files/global-value-of-education-and-training-exports-to-the-uk-economy.pdf">I developed ten years ago</a> to evaluate UK export earnings due to overseas students, the latest data suggests that the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/229845/bis-13-1082-international-education-accompanying-analytical-narrative.pdf">value of such exports amounts</a> to well over £10bn each year. Constraints on the ability of our higher education institutions’ ability to sell their services have a non-trivial effect on the UK’s export earnings and GDP.</p>
<p>Effective controls do need to be in place so that students attending UK universities are equipped to benefit from the experience. That should be the driver. Let’s bear in mind that students are typically not migrants at all, but rather consumers seeking to buy and take home a successful UK export. So targeting students and universities as part of a broader migration policy is neither appropriate nor innocuous.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/29245/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Geraint Johnes received funding from the British Council and a consortium of government departments in 2004 to develop the methodology used to evaluate exports of education.</span></em></p>The British government’s recent decision to suspend the licences of one university and 57 private further education colleges to sponsor international students has generated shockwaves across the sector…Geraint Johnes, Professor of Economics, Lancaster University, and Director of the Work Foundation, Lancaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.