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Access courses – where are they going?

Maggie Greenwood LSDA 

Research carried out for LSC by Ruth Bromley

Report : July 2002

Website link: http://www.lsda.org.uk/pubs

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Access courses

Where have they come from?

Where are they now?

Where are they going?

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Where have they come from?

Developed in early 1980’s to provide a programme of learning for those age 21+ who had missed out on formal education

Achieve the level of qualification required for entry to HE Originally approved by an HEI ( usually polytechnic) and

delivered in FEC Often developed with specific departments at the HEI Accredited through a number of independent open college

networks but approved as a valid entry qualification by the HEI partner

OCNs became approved by QAA Always driven by local need, developed by institutions,

peer moderated

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Where are they now?Research : method

• Questionnaire to 50 English FE colleges, across all regions,

that indicated on ISR returns substantial commitment to

provision of Access courses over last 3 years

• Statistical analysis using LSC ISR Data from 1996/7 to

2000/01 and UCAS Data

• Report of findings with recommendations

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Findings 1 - data

• Enrolments down by 11% from 1996/7 to 2000/01• Retention static at about 76% • Achievement rates improved significantly from 66% in 1996/7

to 76% in 1999/2000• Progression to HE in decline:

o Applications down 25% of A-level applications up by 2.2%o Acceptances of Access students down by 22% o Rate of acceptance of Access students at 66.6% c.f.

average acceptance rate of 79.3% and A-level acceptances at 86.7% (UCAS )

N.B. Not all Access students complete UCAS forms; those going on to nursing courses may not be recorded by UCAS

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Findings 2 - Access student profile:

• Increase in female students from 64% in 1996/7 to 71% in 2000/01

• Reduction in those under 21 on Access courses from 13% to 7% (reflecting tightening of regulations by QAA)

• Age 21- 29 static at 39%• Age 30+ increase from 47% to 53%• Reduction in white students from 75% to 69% over the

period• Increase in participation by black African students,

Bangladeshi and Chinese students• Decline in participation by Indian and Pakistani students

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Findings 3 - Programme areas

• Major change towards vocational courses in Health Studies

and Nursing

e.g. Nursing enrolments rose from 786 in 1996/7 to 2,194 in

1999/00

Health Studies rose from 1,275 in 1996/7 to 3,302 in 2000/01

• Increase in Social Studies from 746 in 1996/7 to 1,769 in

2000/01

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Findings 3: Continued

• Decline of Business Studies by 16%

• Decline of Science and Maths courses by 22%

• Initial decline in Computing from 1996/7 – 1999/00 but

increased in 2000/01

• Art and Design and Performing Arts enrolments down by

33% over the period

• 22% decline in enrolments on Access courses leading to

B.Ed

• 25% decline in humanities

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Findings from National Survey: student numbers

Largest cohort in YH – 680 students

75% colleges fewer than 300 students

7 colleges fewer than 50 students

Majority of large provides in big urban conurbations

At least 1 college in most regions with over 200 Access students

20% of provision is in Greater London, 10% provided by Greater Manchester

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Findings from National Survey: programmes

•The largest colleges offering the widest range•Many colleges offer 6 – 8 programmes – typically

     Health studies – including Access to Nursing     Professional Care studies     Business and Computing     Teaching     Humanities and Social Sciences     Media     Applied Sciences     Art and Design •Most common Access programmes are in health and related studies

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Findings from National Survey: trends in numbers

• Most colleges reported steady or buoyant recruitment

overall

• Reported dip in recruitment between 1999-2000 but now

turned upwards and decline seems to have been

arrested

• Some distinction between full-time and part-time

enrolment but pattern varied from region to region

• There were significant differences in recruitment

between subject areas

• Growth largely in health related areas - nursing,

midwifery, osteopathic health care, paramedics

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• General reported decline in humanities and social sciences

• Many reported decline in business studies

• Overall numbers have been maintained by development of new

courses e.g. theatre studies, media

• Colleges reported that they have endeavoured to reposition

their Access portfolio to a more vocational provision

• Concern expressed over competition with local HEIs taking

students on to HNDs/ Year 0/ Foundation years direct e.g. in

Business and Engineering – inference this is due to market

forces rather than planned collaborative effort between FE and

HE

Findings from National Survey: trends in numbers

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Findings from National Survey: retention

• Overall, colleges reported improvement in retention rates – many quoting between 68% and 75%

• Specific reasons given include:

Better and more focused study skills help

More flexible provision /greater tutorial support

Tighter college procedures

Pre-Access provision

3 entry point system – this has enabled students who have had to leave the programme due to personal circumstances to rejoin at a later date

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Findings from National Survey: retention

•Colleges in all areas reported that financial pressures caused students to drop out. Some quotes include:

•“Retention remains problematic for adult returners due to restrictions on studying and benefit rules, shortage of childcare, and concerns regarding financial commitments of studying in higher education”

•“Retention is dependent on factors like the health problems of students and dependents, and growth of contract work with changing hours, increase in need/availability of work near Christmas.”

•“…. other new factors affecting retention are the payment of fees to universities, particularly by women with working spouses”

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Findings from National Survey: course organisation

•Colleges are changing the way they deliver Access

programmes to take account of changing demands and

student need

•New approaches to organisation and delivery e.g. unitisation

and modularisation

•Variation in intake to programme e.g. mid-year

•Neighbouring colleges were not necessarily developing in the

same way; there is no evidence of a general focus on new

curriculum thinking about Access or widespread changes to

course organisation and delivery

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Findings from National Survey: achievement/progression

•Most reported improving levels of achievement

•Majority of students who completed Access courses achieved

the Access certificate – most put this at 80% or above

•Majority of students stay in their home area and progress to a

local university; there are many examples of clear and

successful progression for Access students to local universities

•Variation in number of credits required for progression:

One YH college reported 20 credits at level 3 In London generally 12 credits at level 3 and 4 at level 2In SE 18 credits at level 3 are the norm

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Findings from National Survey: progression

•Some encouraging reports of HEIs having a greater

understanding of the OCN unit system•Evidence that in some shortage degree areas HEIs will

recruit students who have partially completed the full

Access certificate•There are still problems for Access students where there

is fierce competition for places or there are more

stringent entry criteria •Colleges in all regions reported good relations with

some local HEIs mentioning active partnership

arrangements leading to a high progression rate•Little evidence of planned area wide progression

initiatives involving mature students

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Findings from National Survey: finance

•18 colleges made the connection between lower recruitment

and introduction of student fees/loss of maintenance grants

in late 1990’s

•Changes in grants/ loans have led to a much more

vocationally oriented client group

•Growing desire to combine work and study has led some

colleges to switch to part-time programmes – but this does

not benefit the students academically

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• Several colleges referred to continued pressure on

jobseekers

• Government recruitment campaigns and bursaries have

encouraged take up nursing and teaching courses

• Students are increasingly reluctant to participate in non-

vocationally related courses which lead to a degree but no

job – students cannot afford to study for study’s sake

• In some areas greater employment opportunities have

adversely affected numbers

Findings from National Survey: finance cntd.

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Findings from National Survey: Pre-access

•28 colleges surveyed run pre-access courses

•Most colleges with a substantial Access offer run pre-

access courses combining study skills and specific

subject work – mainly level 1 and 2 provision

•Courses organised in a variety of ways – full or part-

time, intensive, over several weeks, several entry and

exit points

•Most courses are run with OCN accredited

units

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Findings from National Survey: Access for 19-20 year olds

•Majority of colleges surveyed tell applicants they have to

wait until they are 21

•Some colleges do accept students providing they meet

the criteria specified by the OCN

•Strong interest was expressed by many colleges in

developing this area of work especially in areas with

poor retention at 16+ and 17+ where there are many young

people with potential but poor previous educational

attainment

•Where courses are being delivered for this age

group they are separately run from the 21+

Access courses

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Findings from National Survey: the HE targets

•Taking the current figure for participation in HE as 41.5% an

extra 40,000 students a year (1% growth) would be

needed to meet the target•To achieve the target HEFCE estimates that for demographic

reasons 90% of the increase must come from the 18-21 age

group, and specifically from social groups currently

under-represented in HE•It is time to give attention to mature students and to review

the contribution they can make to the target – there are

currently 1 million 19-30 year olds who have level 3 but do

not go into HE•There was a 12% decline between 1997/8 and 1998/9 and

anticipated 9% decrease for 1999/00

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Findings from National Survey: the HE targets

• Reasons for decline (DFES report 2002):

oFinancial – confusion amongst staff and students over

benefit rules and HE fees and reluctance of mature

students to take on a student loanoLabour market trends – a move away from non-

vocational courses to those providing direct career/

employment prospectsoGovernment policies and initiatives focusing on

young people/reduction in HEI resources for events

targeting mature studentsoHome and domestic circumstances

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Recommendations

• General agreement that financial pressures and fear of debt caused a drop in Access student enrolment in late 1990’s. Student financial support in FE needs addressing. IPPR recommended that all courses up to level 3 should be free, regardless of age

• Student financial support in HE needs to be explained more clearly

• In order to achieve the HE target of 50% participation attention has to be given to young people who drop out; there is considerable interest in developing courses for under 21 age group and this needs to be developed

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Recommendations: Continued

• More attention should be given to mature students and

their contribution to the HE targets

• Colleges need to give more attention to their access

curriculum offer e.g. development of access to Foundation

degrees for example

• A new national strategy for Access is needed where the

contribution of Access students to widening participation

in HE is redefined, given prominence and supported at

national and local level

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Access – where now?

1. Centralisation v decentralisation(top-down v bottom-up)

2. Standards v social inclusion

3. Formal v informal learning

4. Skills supply v skills demand