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[This report] presents the findings of research into the prior skills and qualification levels of adults aged 19 and over on adult learner responsive (ALR) learning provision in 2010/2011. The research aimed to understand the extent to which investment in ALR learning provision is being directed toward up-skilling individuals with lower skill levels. [This report] also explores the profile of learners undertaking such courses and those undertaking their first level 2 learning, in demographics, employment status and income, and to investigate why learners take up these courses.

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International student mobility, especially diploma mobility (students taking their entire degree outside the UK), has received little attention from researchers. This report summarises the findings of research funded by the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) aimed at improving understanding of the motivations behind the international diploma mobility of UK students. It also seeks to evaluate the scale and significance of UK international diploma mobility. The research on which this report is based had two general aims: (1) to improve understanding of the motivations behind diploma mobility and the career aspirations of those who choose to study abroad; and (2) to evaluate the scale and significance of international diploma mobility of English students. The report is organised in three main sections. First, a review is offered of secondary data relating to UK diploma mobility. The second section of the report analyses the survey of school pupils and the interviews with school careers guidance teachers. The third main part of the report describes the results of the international student survey. It then seeks an explanation of the motivations for studying abroad before considering what have been the experiences of UK internationally diploma-mobile students and whether they are likely to return to work in the UK after graduation.

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This report summarises findings from the 'Going into HE' qualitative research project, conducted by the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). The aim of the project was to develop a clear understanding of: (1) the role and importance of finance in the decision-making process of English-domiciled people from different groups who are considering entering full-time higher education (HE) in the UK; and (2) the impact of the support arrangements on their decisions. The research found that financial factors tend not to dent HE aspirations among those planning to apply. Indeed, they tend to be outweighed by a range of non-financial factors, especially for younger people. Insofar as finance is important in decision-making, it is in determining where to apply and study rather than what to study or whether to study at all. Applicants tend to underestimate the amount of student financial support for which they will be eligible. Some of them arrive at key HE decisions having accessed very little information and having cursorily discounted certain options. Insofar as fees are seen as an inevitability, there is broad support among students for financing these through loans for tuition. Preferences regarding loans for maintenance, however, are more divided: some students are receptive to bigger loans as a means of financing study while many mature and non-traditional students would be prepared to contemplate a lower total support package within which non-repayable support such as grants and bursaries would make up a higher proportion, leading to lower indebtedness.

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This report aims to provide a synthesis of international evidence on widening participation and demonstrate which initiatives might be most applicable and useful in an English context. An international search of published and grey literature on widening participation was conducted, with the help of a wide range of international contacts identified with the help of the project’s Expert Advisory Group (see Appendix A). A total of 240 items were then selected as suitable for inclusion in the initial evidence framework. Following a framework agreed by the [Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills] DIUS Steering Group, these were summarised, with details of authors, years and sources. They were sorted into three different levels, those that pertain to policy level initiatives, those that represent innovations at an institutional level and those that relate to the issues faced by disadvantaged groups at an individual level. Although all of the evidence included provided valuable information, the next stage of the process was to select those initiatives that were most salient to an English context. Part of this process included drawing up country profiles of those countries that seemed to have similar frameworks for higher education (HE) or which presented important lessons for the English context. These countries were: Australia; India; the Netherlands; Norway; Sweden; South Africa; Republic of Ireland; Canada; USA; China and Germany. Show less

[This report] presents the findings of research into the highest prior qualifications levels of adult learners (aged 19 and over) who undertook full level 2 or full level 3 Train to Gain learning in November 2010. It covers some of the last groups of learners to be funded under Train to Gain. [It] aims to better understand the extent to which investment in Train to Gain has been directed towards up-skilling individuals with lower skill levels. [It] also explores the profile of learners undertaking learning under Train to Gain and those undertaking their first level 2 learning, in demographics, employment status and income, and investigates why they take up Train to Gain learning.

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The review of adult offender learning in England was jointly undertaken by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). This report of the review outlines plans to break the cycle of re-offending, by developing a stronger link between learning in prisons and the vocational and employability skills that employers demand. Under the reforms to the adult offender education system, there will be greater emphasis on the results that education and training in prison delivers. The way learning is delivered in prisons will also be overhauled to better reflect the way the prison system is organised and improve value for money. This report sets out the Government's commitment to: increase the range and relevance of learning, focusing on the skills employers need; support more work opportunities in prison; improve links with employers, ensuring where possible a relationship with employers has been established before release; boost activity to prepare prisoners for apprenticeship opportunities on release; focus learning delivery towards the end of prisoners' sentences, linking it directly to needs in the labour market on release; reshape careers advice provided in custody; trial outcome incentive payments, giving colleges and training providers a greater stake in delivering learning successfully; and restructure the delivery of offender learning around the clusters of prisons within which prisoners normally move, bringing more coherence to the system.

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Higher education in the United Kingdom (UK) is a successful public-private partnership of government funding and institutional autonomy. This White Paper sets out the government's reforms for higher education with a view to tackling three challenges. The first is to shift public spending away from teaching grants and towards repayable tuition loans, to ensure that higher education receives the funding it needs even as substantial savings are made to public expenditure. The second is to ensure that higher education institutions (HEIs) deliver a better student experience; improving teaching, assessment, feedback and preparation for the world of work. The third challenge is to ensure that HEIs take more responsibility for increasing social mobility. The reforms are designed to deliver a more responsive higher education sector in which funding follows the decisions of learners and successful institutions are freed to thrive; in which there is a new focus on the student experience and the quality of teaching and in which further education colleges and other alternative providers are encouraged to offer a diverse range of higher education provision. The overall goal is higher education that is more responsive to student choice, that provides a better student experience and that helps improve social mobility.

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Purpose: This paper aims to determine whether high school students can become agents of change in their local communities by participating in a formal internship program implemented through a partnership between academia (high schools and universities), nonprofit organizations and key community stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach: Pre- and post-assessments, activity journals and on-line interviews are used to measure the impact of internships on high school students' sustainability leadership, using a train-the-trainer intervention led by university interns. A conceptual problem-solving framework is proposed and empirically tested to explore the linkages between complex problem constellations, sustainability transition strategies and sustainability visions.

Findings: The five core leadership competencies (systems thinking, strategic, anticipatory, normative and interpersonal) may not be as uniquely discrete as suggested in the literature. An effective learning experience depends on students' developing competence in their ability to implement a strategic intervention, which is better acquired through hands-on experience rather than a classroom setting. Practical implications: Students need experiential learning outside of the classroom to make sustainability come alive as a viable option for their communities.

Social implications: The principles of social responsivity, engagement, experiential learning, capacity-building and entrepreneurialism can be executed by transforming the campus into a learning lab, which includes the local community. Originality/value: This study empirically demonstrates that students need involvement in strategic interventions to imagine and conceptualize sustainability visions. It also shows how academia can help fulfill the United Nations sustainable development goals.

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This is the government's response to the Witty review of universities and growth. The response sets out what the government will do to build on [the nation's] outstanding global reputation for science and research. It explains how government is rising to Sir Andrew's challenge through: making a long term commitment to supporting universities in their mission to deliver economic growth; drawing national successes through to the local level by strengthening Local Enterprise Partnerships and helping universities to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs); taking forward the 'Arrow Projects' concept to secure the potential of the technologies of the future; and aligning support for different scientific fields with the priorities that are developed for technologies and sectors in the context of the government's industrial strategy.

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Maintaining a vibrant UK oil and gas industry is critical - the industry is a key contributor to [gross domestic product] GDP, to tax revenues, and an important source of exports. This is why both the UK Government and Scottish Government are working to support the sector. The future success of the industry will depend on retaining access to a skilled workforce. The purpose of producing a UK oil and gas workforce plan is to help deal with both short and long-term issues in the sector with industry and governments working together. This plan sets out how the government will help skilled workers in the oil and gas sector find work in the wider engineering sector. It also introduces measures which will help industry deal with the cyclical nature of its workforce needs over the longer term.

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