All SLN funded research projects were completed in August 2008. Project outcomes will be made available on this website in the near future

As a result of the failure of Hastings College to successfully launch Foundation Degrees in Engineering & Construction, it was decided to undertake a review of the provision of these and related courses in surrounding colleges in order to establish some factors which facilitate their successful delivery. The types of course running (FD or HND/C) and student numbers in nearest colleges will be established, and expert testimony of staff obtained on relevant issues. Changes in the character of the local labour market is clearly a key element in the demand for part-time provision, while central government policy and university funding decision influence the type of full time provision offered. These and other factors will be evaluated with a view to presenting some pertinent conclusions on funding policy in relation to the local area where there is a preponderance of SMEs forming the local industrial base. The study may extend to a more detailed critique of the government policy which currently strongly favours Foundation Degrees over the traditional HND/C provision, and a consideration of some problematic aspects of the FD specification which militate against its successful introduction in the local area (Kent & Sussex).

Project Update, April 2008

The project was initiated by a survey of employers in the Hastings College catchment area, which indicated a lukewarm response to the Foundation Degree (FD) initiative. This reinforced the impression gained by the course teams in the course of previous work carried out during the FD development phase.

In order to put the local response in context, information has been collated on FD, HND and HNC courses in Construction and Engineering in nearby colleges (Kent & Sussex), in order to establish which courses are running, student numbers, operational trends and views of staff on future prospects.

It has been found that HND/C provision is proving surprisingly robust in Kent & Sussex, and the introduction of Foundation Degrees patchy at best. Many experienced staff are well aware of a continuing preference for HND/C among SMEs, which form the bulk of the relevant employers in the area. Concerns about problematic aspects of FDs such as extended part-time time scales, progression and, in particular, work-based learning probably contribute to the slow progress of FDs.

Where validating universities offer a choice to colleges in funding FD or HND/C, the latter is still frequently preferred. This trend is reinforced as regards HNC provision, because potential part-time applicants from areas such as Hastings where part-time FDs have not taken off, are adding to the numbers joining HNC courses at adjacent colleges. HNC thus appears to be expanding in those colleges where the provision is effectively being centralised.

It would be useful to compare these trends with areas where larger employers are more common, that is, the more highly industrialised regions, as these tend to have the personnel resources to support FD more effectively. One suspects that the government policy which has strongly favoured FDs over HND/C is largely based on the experience and advice of larger employers represented on the representative industrial bodies.

The project should be able to demonstrate a case for continuing support for HND/C courses in Kent and Sussex, and that the government would well advised to tolerate, if not encourage, continuing diversity in HE provision in FE in the less industrialised regions such as the south east, at least in the traditional areas of study such as construction and engineering.

Contact: Martin Bates

Email: mbates@hastings.ac.uk