Colleges reporting decline in part-time HE recruitment
In the first of a series of guest blogs focusing on the decline in part-time and mature student numbers in higher education, John Widdowson, Chair of the Mixed Economy Group of FE colleges which offer HE provision, reflects on the emerging picture for mixed-economy colleges.
Much of the recent debate on the shape and future of higher education has centred on the prospects for young people entering full-time courses directly from school or college. Although concerns have been expressed at the long-term impact of student debt and the potential impact on widening participation, any adverse consequences of the new fees regime appear to be seen as temporary or at least not causing fundamental change. The picture for mature and part-time students seems significantly less positive.
The recent HEFCE grant letter recognises the key role played by higher-level qualifications in social mobility but comments that ‘We need to understand better the HE experience of part time and mature students’. On current evidence from the larger FE colleges offering HE courses (many of whom belong to the Mixed Economy Group), that better understanding will reveal a depressing picture. Most colleges in the Group have reported a significant decline in recruitment to their part-time courses. Although the availability of student loans was hailed as a major improvement in the lot of part-time learners, giving equal access to that enjoyed by full-time students, the reality appears to be very different. For a large number of courses, the removal of financial support from HEFCE has resulted in a sudden increase in fee levels: a 300-fold increase is not unusual. Many students have seen the prospect of significant debt as a major disincentive, a view shared by employers. They seem increasingly reluctant to support higher-level education for their employees at a time when other business pressures take precedence.
In the grand scheme of things, does this matter? For the individuals concerned, for whom part-time study may be the only realistic option and for employers who in the longer term will need employees with higher-level skills, it most certainly does. The recent HEFCE report (HEFCE 2013/01) on destinations of higher education leavers from FE colleges shows the importance of part-time study routes for a high proportion (41%) of college leavers. An earlier report on college recruitment of full time students from widening participation backgrounds (HEFCE, 2012/20) shows the important role played by colleges in serving the needs of students less well-served by other parts of the system. Given the local nature of most part-time study it is likely that the college impact on bringing wider opportunities to part-time students will be even more significant.
These students have often been seen as having lesser priority than their full-time colleagues. In a more diverse higher education landscape, this cannot continue. In the short term, more proactive steps must be taken by government to ensure that potential part-time students understand how the loans system will affect them and how it can be used to enable them to study flexibly and at a time and place to suit them. We must all, policy makers and providers and employers, recognise the important role part-time study can play in widening participation. Institutions must ensure that course structures are attuned to the needs of part-time learners, introducing flexible and affordable approaches to delivery which will benefit all students. At a time when the distinctions between full-and part-time modes become more blurred, such a review of the way in which colleges deliver their courses is increasingly necessary.
Finally, all of us need to recognise the value of part-time study: for the individuals who benefit directly and also for the economy and society as a whole. This will bring respect for learning (and those who learn) directly into the heart of our communities.
John Widdowson is Principal of New Durham College and Chair of the Mixed Economy Group, a working group of 34 colleges that offer higher education courses in addition to their further education provision.
John’s article will feature in a special issue of Adults Learning, focusing on part-time and mature student recruitment, published later this month.
