The Step-In to HE Project August 2010
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Overcoming Barriers for Advanced Apprentices Progressing to Higher Education A Resource from the Step-In to HE Project August 2010 1 Introduction This resource answers key questions about how the Step-In to HE project supports the development of Advanced Apprentices’ skills, raises their aspirations, and opens up opportunities to progress to higher education (HE). It is based on the experience of the Step- In to HE Project between September 2007 and July 2010 and is designed to: • describe the scope and outcomes of the Step-In to HE project and lessons learnt; • raise awareness of, and give advice about, some practical techniques that can be used to promote progression to HE for Advanced Apprentices and work-based learners; • highlight issues associated with supporting Advanced Apprentices to progress. Developing and managing the Step-In to HE project has enabled Aimhigher Greater Manchester and partners to learn a great deal about how to engage with Advanced Apprentices and how to give them information about their HE options which is relevant to their aspirations and addresses their concerns. We hope to be able to share the learning with others who support the aim of improving HE progression rates for Apprentices. The learning points have been highlighted throughout the document, and we hope that these will be useful to others wishing to develop similar initiatives. The intended audience for the report is practitioners involved in promoting Apprentices’ and work-based learners’ progression to HE, including work-based learning providers, Lifelong Learning Networks and Aimhigher partnerships, as well as other key influencers in this field. In addition, Aimhigher Greater Manchester is interested in hearing from any colleges and work-based learning providers who might consider becoming a delivery centre for Step-In to HE. Anyone wanting to discuss Aimhigher Greater Manchester’s experience of developing the Step-In to HE module should contact the Progression Manager (contact details at the end of the document). Acknowledgements Thanks to staff working on the Step-In to HE module at Aimhigher Greater Manchester’s delivery partners, including: Wigan & Leigh College, Stockport College, Skills Solutions Ltd, Oldham College and Bury College. Thanks also to the University of Bolton in working with Aimhigher Greater Manchester to make the Step-In to HE module the success that it has become. Contents Information has been organised under the following headings: What is Step-In to HE? ......................................................................................................................... 1 Why was Step-In to HE developed? ................................................................................................ 1 How does Step-In to HE address barriers to HE progression? ....................................................... 2 How did Step-In to HE get started? .................................................................................................. 3 How was the Step-In to HE module developed and delivered? ................................................ 4 Who is Step-In to HE for? .................................................................................................................... 5 What’s included in the module? ...................................................................................................... 5 Who took part? ................................................................................................................................... 7 How is the Step-In to HE module funded? ...................................................................................... 7 How were Apprentices recruited to the course? .......................................................................... 8 Where does the course take place? ............................................................................................. 10 How is Step-In monitored and evaluated? ................................................................................... 10 How many people has Step-In to HE helped so far? .................................................................. 10 Why did Apprentices join the course? .......................................................................................... 11 How many learners have progressed to HE? ............................................................................... 13 How have participants benefited from the course? .................................................................. 14 What HE progression routes have been used? ............................................................................ 15 How do Universities use Step-In? .................................................................................................... 16 What motivates Apprentices to progress? ................................................................................... 17 What stops Apprentices progressing? ........................................................................................... 17 What opportunities exist for future development of the Step-In to HE module? .................... 18 Contact Information ......................................................................................................................... 19 What is Step-In to HE? Step-In to HE is designed to build Apprentices’ confidence in their ability to progress through providing a new Level 4 course worth 10 HE credits, validated by the University of Bolton. The Step-In to HE module gives Advanced Apprentices a taste of what it’s like to study at university level. The content of the course covers research skills, personal development planning and writing techniques. The course is part of the Aimhigher Greater Manchester Work-Based Learning strategy, and was developed by a partnership of delivery centres with the help of a Project Leader from Aimhigher Greater Manchester. Step-In to HE started in 2007 as a developmental project, and from 2008/09 onwards came within the Aimhigher Greater Manchester progression framework for work-based learners. The progression framework is central to the Work-based Learning Strategy and offers a menu of activities aimed at increasing progression to HE among Apprentices by providing a coherent sequence of developmental opportunities from Year 10 through to adult learners. The Step-In to HE module is set alongside a range of activities such as introductory sessions, subject specific masterclasses, enrichment activities and one-to- one support sessions. Together the activities form part of a coherent strategy through which learners may progress as they move on from one level of learning to the next. The Step-In to HE module gives a taster of HE study and is a final rung of the ladder prior to HE transition. Why was Step-In to HE developed? Progression to HE by work-based learners in general and Apprentices in particular has become an increasingly important part of government skills policy. The Leitch Review of Skills Report (2006) set the ambitious target of over 40% of the adult population becoming qualified to Level 4 and above, and underlined the importance of the Apprenticeship route as a means of making a significant contribution to this ambition1. Progression to higher education by Higher skills are increasingly important in all Apprentices lags behind that of other occupational areas and sectors covered by learner groups. For example, tracking of Apprenticeship Frameworks the 2006/07 Greater Manchester Advanced Apprentice leaver cohort, using data provided through the Greater Manchester Learner Provider Network (GMLPN) undertaken on behalf of Aimhigher Greater Manchester during 2007/08, suggests that only 100 out of 3,000 Advanced Apprentices went into HE on completion (3%)2. This is in line with the national estimate for HE progression by Apprentices leavers in 2005 of between 2% and 4%3. In general there is a lack of data on the progression rates of Apprentices to HE4. Nevertheless, estimates of the rates of HE progression for 1 Leitch Review of Skills: Prosperity for all in the global economy - world class skills - Final Report, HM Treasury, December 2006 2 Work-Based and Vocational Learners: Aiming Higher in Greater Manchester, Progression Strand Report, Aimhigher Greater Manchester September 2008 3 An Analysis of the progression of Advanced Apprentices into HE in England, Vic Seddon, UVAC, 2005. Seddon also notes: “The progression of Advanced Apprentices may be expected to be delayed beyond the year of completion” (p.32) 4 It is not a requirement of UCAS, HEFCE or HESA that Apprenticeship completers should be identified on entry to HE or tracked, and researchers of HE progression have a lack of data. 1 Apprentices are in stark contrast to the rates of progression for learners with other types of Level 3 qualifications. For example, around 90% of learners with A levels and 45% of learners with a BTEC at Level 3 progress to HE5. Initiatives such as Step-In to HE which support HE progression for Apprentices, are therefore highly relevant to government initiatives to increase higher level skills. The importance of Apprenticeships as a route to HE continues to be a key theme in government policy. For example, in a keynote speech, Vince Cable has spoken about permanently removing the value distinction Only 2-4% of Apprentices are between Apprenticeships, further education and estimated to progress to HE university, while David Willetts has spoken of the importance of the role that Further Education colleges