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This bulletin reports on a study of vocational higher education undertaken against a backdrop of government policies on education that seek to redress the balance between academic and vocational routes to high-level qualifications and an emerging skills strategy that aims to create a demand-led approach to skills training. The government's recent White Paper on the future of higher education stressed that more work-related and employer-focused higher education should be developed to meet the prevailing skills gap at associate professional and higher technician levels. Actions should also be taken to help mature students already in the workforce to develop their skills at this level. This six-month study investigated the role and significance of vocational, sub-degree higher education in meeting the needs of the economy and employers. The study, which was limited to England, aimed to collate employers' views on: (1) the value of vocational higher education (HE); and (2) the relative merits of such provision in higher education institutions (HEIs) and further education colleges (FECs). The study also aimed to consider the role of assessment and accreditation of existing workforce skills at [National Vocational Qualification] NVQ Levels 3 and 4 in meeting employer and employee skill needs and in meeting the government's target for increasing and widening participation in higher education. In addition to investigating employer perceptions, the study sought to provide a comprehensive map of vocational HE provision in England using existing data sources, and to consider how this provision might help to achieve government targets for HE participation. Finally, interviews with a limited number of careers advisers and teaching staff in HEIs and FECs introduced a provider perspective and group discussions with students and employees focused on users' perceptions of employers' needs and preferences in terms of skills and qualifications.