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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

The digital experience insights surveys allow organisations to collect valid, representative and actionable data from their students and staff about the digital environment they offer and to understand how digital technologies are used in learning and teaching as well as across the organisation. The survey findings are a way of informing and driving change, providing data that contributes to digital strategy and helps to secure return on investment. The anonymised data collected in the surveys allows us to gain a national picture of student and staff digital experiences and to monitor this over time, showing progress and highlighting issues of national concern. This year 4,560 professional services staff from UK further and higher education took part in our digital experience insights survey specifically for professional services staff. The survey was conducted between October 2019 and June 2020. In total 32 organisations took part, 24 of these were based in England, 3 in Wales, 3 in Scotland and 2 in Northern Ireland.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been a unique factor this year. Sixty-seven per cent of professional services staff who completed the survey did so before the lockdown on 23 March 2020 and the move to off campus learning and working; 33 per cent completed it on or after this date. This has allowed us to partition the data and provide an initial comparison, providing a brief summary where the differences were found to be statistically significant. It is important to remember that while the impact of COVID-19 may have influenced some responses in terms of perceptions and attitudes, opinions generally take longer to form so it would be methodologically unsound to assume that responses relate specifically to before or after 23 March. Instead, we have drawn on the wealth of additional research on the impact of COVID-19 on colleges and universities alongside the survey findings to look forward and consider how we can use this combined knowledge to better understand the role and potential of technology in further and higher education to make positive improvements to the digital experience of all students and staff.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

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.

Excerpt from BIS website. Show less

This research focuses on the demand for and use of literacy and numeracy skills in low paid work. The motivation for the research is to examine the assumption, widely espoused by policy makers, that literacy and numeracy skills are vital at all levels of the labour market and that deficiencies in these skills are the source of widespread economic problems. The primary aim of this study is to understand the extent to which employees in low paid occupations use literacy and numeracy skills in their work. Alongside this, the research considers the extent of mismatch between the skills of employees and the demands of their job, the extent of change in the demand for literacy and numeracy skills and the sources of demand for literacy and numeracy skill.

Methodologically the research focuses on qualitative case studies of frontline work in two major low paying sectors, retail and residential care. Research took place in three nursing homes in England and three retail outlets in South Wales. This qualitative analysis is supplemented by a quantitative analysis of the Skills and Employment Surveys from 1997 to 2012, which provides a broader picture of the extent of and changes in the use of literacy and numeracy skills in low paid work. The research raises doubts about the extent of demand for literacy and numeracy skills in occupations at the lower end of the labour market and the incidence of deficiencies in the skills of employees. This in turn leads to questions about the viability of approaches to literacy and numeracy policy predicated on these assumptions.

Published abstract. Show less

International higher education will play a key role in helping to deliver economic growth and the UK's global competitiveness agendas. The international activities of UK universities have important social benefits that are closely linked with other specialist government policy agendas related to foreign policy, national security and international development. The international activities of UK universities contribute to national strategic objectives. The partnerships and international activities of modern universities are wide-ranging, cover teaching, research and knowledge transfer and include collaborations with highly prestigious institutions. Most university international activities are self-initiated but UK universities have also benefited from government support through funding streams which have been crucial in helping them to develop new overseas partnerships. Relatively little is known at government level about the international contribution of modern universities across the full range of these universities' business in teaching, research and knowledge transfer. The Coalition Government is interested in the economic value of international partnerships but there appears to be very limited wider recognition of the international role played by modern universities. Government engagement with the international higher education agenda in England is currently fragmented - and even contradictory. The UK lacks a comprehensive strategy for internationalisation in higher education. This fragmented approach could damage key policy objectives and undermine the reputation of UK higher education overseas.

Excerpts from publication. Show less

This article documents the collaborative research and development of an apprenticeship model of learning for the arts. It focuses on teachers working in partnership with artists and other creative practitioners. The model is rooted in theories of social learning and cognitive apprenticeship. It was developed and tested through collaborative research, some of it action research. The aim was to explore and test the model for appropriateness and for its impact on the learning of all participants (children, teachers, creative practitioners). The model was found to be useful as a guide to the organisation of children’s learning in the arts. Moreover, using the model had a positive effect on the inclusion of children on the margins into wider school learning. The model was also useful in facilitating the professional development of the adults concerned: teachers, artists and others.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

The period since the election in May 2010 has seen a number of very far-reaching reforms enacted in the higher education system in the UK, and especially England. These have been driven in large measure by the economic situation, but also by the aim to introduce a more market-based approach into the sector. At the same time, the higher education system faces a number of long-term challenges, particularly in terms of how it can best contribute to much-needed regional and national economic growth. This article first summarises the reforms which have been put in place and some of the factors driving them; next goes on to set out the long-term challenges which the sector will need to address; and finally assesses whether the policy platform established through the government's reforms is likely to help or hinder the achievement of the sector's (and the country's) strategic aims.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

This report provides examples and recommendations to help overcome obstacles to engage low-skilled workers and their employers in skills development. England has implemented impressive measures aimed at helping workers and employers to upskill. Nonetheless, there remains room for improvement. More can be done to identify workers with low basic skills, raise awareness of why improving those skills is important, increase the accessibility to relevant courses, ensure these courses are flexible enough to accommodate adult learners who are already employed, and finally make the provision relevant to career aspirations. This report urges England to establish and promote a vision for raising the skills of low-skilled workers, identify their needs more systematically, and provide targeted guidance and information to them and their employers. It highlights that accessible and flexible adult learning opportunities in the workplace, home, community and by other means such as online and distance learning can better meet the varied needs of low-skilled workers. It also makes the case for the use of contextualised learning approaches, which create connections between basic skills and vocational context, and a more effective use of basic skills in workplaces to maintain, develop and realise the benefits of prior skills investments.

Excerpt from publisher's website. Show less

This document is the first comprehensive publication of destinations information for higher education provision registered at [Higher Education Funding Council for England] HEFCE-funded further education colleges (FECs) in England. It provides information regarding graduates' employment, further study or training, six months after qualifying.

Excerpts from publication. Show less

Ark is a network of 39 schools in the UK, in Birmingham, Hastings, London and Portsmouth. Each of the schools has its own distinctive character, reflecting its local community. Professional Pathways was introduced into Ark schools in 2016 as a unique approach to delivering vocational qualifications. The programme was designed to meet the needs of those students whose potential was not being realised through a traditional, purely academic, linearly assessed curriculum. Students take a [Business and Technology Education Council] BTEC National Extended Diploma (equivalent to three A levels), choosing one of four subject areas: Applied Science, Business, Sport and Exercise Science or Information Technology. Alongside this, students follow a bespoke wrap around curriculum that develops work readiness, emphasises essential skills, and supports informed and aspirational post-18 choices.

The overall aim of this research was to evaluate how effectively Professional Pathways prepares students for longer-term success, including their ability to achieve and sustain ambitious destinations. Specific objectives were to understand: (1) how students research and choose the five universities for their [Universities and Colleges Admissions Service] UCAS application; (2) student experience of the transition to university; (3) what motivates some students to find and apply for apprenticeships; (3) the experience of employment-based learners; and (4) the role of essential skills in achieving and sustaining post-18 options. A secondary aim was to investigate how the evaluation process itself could be structured so as to maximise the impact of the research by embedding the findings into the Professional Pathways curriculum and practice. The evaulation found that Professional Pathways students made ambitious and sustainable applications, including to prestigious universities and employers. Drawing on the findings of the research, a range of recommendations are proposed for schools, universities, employers and government.

Edited excerpts from publication and publisher's website. Show less