Banging on the Door of the University

Alison Fuller and Lorna UnwinSKOPE/LLAKES Seminar

July 3rd 2012alison.fuller@soton.ac.uk

l.unwin@ioe.ac.uk

Back to the future: vocational HE in a separate space?

1. Previous government - Expansion of HE through vocational pathways including Advanced Apprenticeship (AA)

2. Can AA and Level 3 VQS deliver?

3. Now – focus on academic pathways and ‘university’ HE as elite route - apprenticeship progression separate from academic progression

Purpose of Apprenticeship

• Model of learning – occupational expertise – ‘becoming a....’ (journeyman - master)

• Journey continues ‘educationally’ –HNC/HND (Foundation Degree) – extra year – degree – chartered status

• Now – instrument of government policy – opaque ‘Levels’, VQs of different weights - uncertain progression between programmes

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Higher (‘degree-level’) Apprenticeships

• By radically expanding the number of degree level apprenticeships for young people, we will put practical learning on a level with academic study. This is an essential step that will help re-balance our economy and build a society in which opportunity and reward are fairly and productively distributed. (Vince Cable December 1st 2011)

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Ladders and Missing/Dodgy Rungs

• Level 2 – Intermediate Apprenticeship

• Level 3 – Advanced Apprenticeship

• Level 4/5/6 – Higher Apprenticeship – Honours Degree or new Level 6 BTEC Extended Diploma

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Research and Case Study Sectors

• Data problematic – apprentices not differentiated + limited data on part-timers

• UCAS – BTECs, Equestrian Certs, NVQ 3 Accountancy

• AA into ‘HE’ – 2006 8.4% to 2009 11.2%

• pre-SASE – now Frameworks diluted – minimum 37 QCF credits – unit-based – not mandatory for separate knowledge-based qualification (‘Technical Certificate’)

Case Study Sectors

• Engineering

• Accountancy

• Children and Young People’s Workforce

• Business and Administration

Variable Reality of ‘Levels’/Content

• Aeronautical Engineering – min QCF credits 240, NVQ3 (165 credits), BTEC NatCert = 285 credits + 80-280 UCAS points

• Accountancy – min QCF credits 51, NVQ3 (41 credits) = 160 UCAS points

• Children – min QCF credits 83, Level 3 Diploma (65 credits) = 0 UCAS points

• Business/Admin – min QCF credits 72, NVQ3 (40 credits)+ Level Cert (17 credits) = 0 points

You will go to the ball

• “Your career doesn’t have to stop at the Intermediate or Advanced Apprenticeship, if you want to go on to university you will find that many institutes of higher education value your skills and knowledge and will happily offer you a place on a Foundation Degree or other higher level qualifications.”

(NAS website)9

Engineering (28)

• Majority of universities provided no info on apprenticeship

• 3 said unacceptable

• 2 stated NVQs unacceptable

• 2 offered Foundation Degrees

• Some said ‘contact us’

So – very difficult to move from AA to bachelor degree

Accountancy (66)

• 38 no info on NVQ3 as entry qualification

• 3 said unacceptable

• 20 acceptable if combined with other quals

• Majority did not mention apprenticeship – 7 said not acceptable

• 1 did a Foundation Degree – no info on entry criteria

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Children and Young People’s Workforce (21)

• 8 had no info on NVQ3

• I said not acceptable (4 said yes but in combination with other quals)

• Majority didn’t mention apprenticeship at all

• 6 said would consider AA on own or in combination

• FDs – some said accept NVQ3 and/or AA

• CACHE FULL-TIME – elephant in the room?

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Business and Administration (42)

• Majority didn’t mention NVQ3 or apprenticeships

• 5 said AA unacceptable

• 11 acceptable or in combination with other quals

• ‘Contact us’

• 8 offered FDs – 3 gave info on work-based entry – combinations and ‘contact us'

Some Issues

• Re-establish link between apprenticeship and occupational career progression

• In ‘new’ sectors – what should the journey look like? Public money?

• Higher Apprenticeship could be detached from Level 3 – direct entry

• Implications for content, pedagogy of both apprenticeship and degree courses

• Data a nightmare!