Blurring the boundaries or creating

diversity? The contribution of the

further education colleges to higher

education in Scotland

Jim Gallacher*

Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland

This article outlines the important contribution that further education (FE) colleges make towards

higher education (HE) in Scotland, and the ways in which this is a distinctive contribution,

differing from that provided by the higher education institutions (HEIs). However, it also explores

the ways in which the boundaries between FE colleges and HEIs are being blurred. This discussion

is presented in the context of a wider process of differentiation and stratification in HE in Scotland,

which has been associated with the emergence of a mass system of HE. A number of sub-sectors

can now be identified which are making different types of contributions to HE provision. The FE

colleges can be seen as one of these sub-sectors. The article also provides a brief discussion of

recent developments at the level of national policy and strategy designed to create a more coherent

and integrated system of tertiary education in Scotland.

Introduction

The pattern of provision of higher education (HE) which has been emerging in

Scotland over the last 20 years or so is increasingly complex. On the one hand the

further education colleges (FECs) are now major providers of both full time and part

time higher education, and in this respect they can be seen as an important sector

within Scottish higher education. However, the contribution they make to higher

education is in many respects quite distinct from that provided within the

universities. Balancing this distinctiveness, the boundaries between HE courses in

the higher education institutions (HEIs) and FECs are being blurred through the

articulation links which facilitate transfer of students from the FECs to the HEIs,

and similarities in the subject matter and curriculum of courses provided in each

sector. Furthermore, as the HE sector becomes increasingly differentiated, the lines

*Centre for Research in Lifelong Learning, Glasgow Caledonian University, Floor 2, 6 Rose

Street, Glasgow G3 6RB, Scotland. Email: jwga@gcal.ac.uk

Journal of Further and Higher Education

Vol. 30, No. 1, February 2006, pp. 43–58

ISSN 0309-877X (print)/ISSN 1469-9486 (online)/06/010043-16

# 2006 NATFHE

DOI: 10.1080/03098770500432013

of division are more complex than a straightforward binary split between FECs and

HEIs. There are also a number of important national initiatives which are designed

to strengthen links between HEIs and FECs. At their most ambitious these links can

be seen as moving towards the creation of a ‘tertiary’ education sector in Scotland.

This paper will outline these developments, and consider some of their implications

for learners.

Higher education within the FE college sector

The most obvious sign of the blurring of the boundaries between the FEC sector and

the HEIs in the provision of higher education in Scotland has been both the growth

in the scale of HE provision in the FECs, and the expansion of full time HE

provision which has been associated with this growth. This growth in scale can be

seen from the figures presented in Table 1.

It can be noted that over the period 1985–1986 to 2000–2001 the numbers of

students enrolled on HE level courses in FE colleges increased by 141%; this can be

compared with a growth of 90% for undergraduates in HEIs over the same period.

As a result, in 2000–2001 these FEC students accounted for 34% of all

undergraduate level students in Scotland. The apparent decline in undergraduate

level students in the years since 2000–2001 reflects a number of developments. The

first of these is that from 2001–2002 onwards, Bell College was redesignated as an

HEI, and the HE level students in the FE colleges which are part of the UHI

Millennium Institute1 have been counted as part of the HEI figures. As a result there

was a dramatic fall in the numbers of undergraduate level students in the FECs,

from 72,461 in 2000–2001 to 63,625 in 2001–2002. This did not reflect an actual

change in student participation in these colleges, but a redesignation of the colleges.

However, there has been a continuing decline in the numbers of students

participating in HE level courses in the FE colleges, and the reasons for this require

further investigation.

This growth in HE level provision in the colleges has been associated with a very

considerable growth of full time HE provision in the FE colleges during the 1990s

(Table 2). Between 1985–1986 and 2000–2001, students enrolled on full time HE

level courses in FECs increased by 347% while those on part time courses increased

Table 1. Undergraduate level students in further education colleges (FECs) and higher education

institutions (HEIs)

1985–1986 1990–1991 1995–1996 2000–2001 2003–2004

FECs 30,025 32,952 60,718 72,461 55,405

HEIs 75,189 87,265 67,270 142,630 160,795

Total 105,214 120,217 127,988 215,091 216,200

Sources: Scottish Office (1995); Scottish Office (1998a, b); Scottish Executive (2005).

44 J. Gallacher

by 79%. As a result of the further changes since 2000–2001 it can be noted that in

2003–2004 there were almost as many full time (48%) as part time HE students in

the FECs; this compares with the 23% of HE level students who were full time

in 1985–1986.

This growth of full time provision in the colleges has been a very important aspect

of the changing role of these colleges as providers of higher education. It has been

associated with wider changes in the role and function of FE within the post-

compulsory sector. These changes have led to an enhanced status for the FE sector,

and within the present political climate FE colleges in Scotland are now clearly

viewed as key institutions in widening access, promoting social inclusion and

providing opportunities for lifelong learning (Scottish Office, 1999; Scottish

Parliament, 2002).

A number of major developments, which have helped bring about significant

change in the further education sector over the last 15 years, can be identified.

These colleges had traditionally been providers of education and training for a

wide range of employees, particularly at craft or technician level in many industries.

Many of these courses were provided on a part time basis, and led to a range of

vocational qualifications. However, as many of the traditional industries diminished

in size and in some cases completely disappeared, the provision of training for

employees in these industries became less important. As a result colleges had to seek

new markets. This concern to find new markets also coincided with a movement

within Government policy in the late 1980s and early 1990s to introduce market

principles to education (Scottish Office, 1991). This led to legislation in the early

1990s as a result of which colleges were removed from local authority control, and

established as freestanding corporate bodies with their own budgets and employing

their own staff.

Under this new funding system colleges were now working on the basis of

independent budgets, provided initially through the Scottish Office, and more

recently through the Scottish Further Education Funding Council (SFEFC), plus

any other sources they could identify, such as the European Social Fund (ESF),

Scottish Enterprise, through the local enterprise companies (LECs),2 and income

from private industry for courses they provided. The necessity to secure an adequate

flow of funds from a variety of sources, and through targeting a wide range of student

Table 2. Students enrolled in HE level courses in FE colleges

1985–1986 1990–1991 1995–1996 2000–2001 2003–2004

F/T 6996 9431 25,328 31,293 26,943

P/T 23,029 23,722 35,390 41,168 28,668

Total 30,025 33,153 60,718 72,461 55,611

Sources: Scottish Office (1998a); SFEFC Infact database (2005). Note that there are some minor

differences in figures for FE HE level students between Table 1 and Table 2 because of differences

in sources used.

Blurring the boundaries 45

groups, became a major priority for many colleges as they struggled to maintain their

financial security in this competitive economic climate. One impact of these changes

has been rapid growth in certain types of provision when it has been felt that the

market will support this growth. The growth of new areas of higher education

provision, and particularly the growth of full time higher national certificates

(HNCs) and higher national diplomas (HNDs) has taken place within this context.

This growth in higher education provision in the FE sector has also been

supported by a number of related developments. One of these was the establishment

of the Scottish Vocational Educational Council (SCOTVEC) in 1985. Within this

new organization the provision of vocational education and training was

substantially reshaped. The modular National Certificate system was introduced

in 1985 to create a more flexible and responsive system for non-advanced vocational

education, while a new structure for HNCs and HNDs was introduced in 1990,

based on a unitized framework of provision. This system provided by SCOTVEC,

and more recently the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), which has now

replaced it, has enabled colleges to work within a national system of development,

validation and certification, and to develop their own programmes of higher

education which are distinct from, and independent of, the higher education

institutions. This appears to have been an important factor in encouraging and

sustaining the rapid growth of HN provision in the FE sector during the 1990s. This

was also supported by a funding system within the Scottish Office which encouraged

growth within the FE sector during the early 1990s, and the provision of financial

support for students which encouraged the development of full time HNCs and

HNDs.

Another element which contributed to the growth of higher education within

colleges has been the growing emphasis on widening access to further and higher

education, which emerged in the second half of the 1980s. This led to the

establishment of the Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP) in 1987. SWAP

brought together the universities, colleges and local authorities to work collabora-

tively in developing and providing programmes which would enable adult returners

to prepare for, and gain access to, higher education. Colleges were given a key role as

the providers of access courses. As a result of SWAP, and similar developments,

work with adult returners became an important priority for many colleges in the late

1980s and early 1990s, and there was a large growth in the numbers of adult

returners who were participating in a variety of programmes.

This interest within the colleges in widening access, and providing opportunities

for adult students to return to education, was further reinforced by the impact of a

series of major reports and policy documents which appeared in the late 1990s

(Kennedy, 1997; NCIHE 1997a, b). These reports contributed to a growing

emphasis on establishing a ‘learning society’, and the conditions which will promote

‘lifelong learning’, themes which the New Labour Government emphasized in its

educational policy (Fryer, 1997; Scottish Office, 1998c; Scottish Executive, 2003).

Within this lifelong learning agenda, colleges have been recognized as having a

central role in Scotland, and more generally within the UK.

46 J. Gallacher

The distinctive contribution of the Scottish FE colleges to higher education

provision

The contribution of the Scottish FE colleges to HE level provision is distinctive in a

number of ways. Firstly it can be noted that most of this provision is what is often

referred to as short cycle HE, based on higher national units (Table 3).

Almost three quarters of HE students in FE colleges are enrolled on HNCs, which

can be completed in one year of full time study, or HNDs which can be completed in

two years of full time study. Only 2% of students are enrolled on undergraduate

degree programmes, which have been developed in cooperation with the universities

(Table 3). A further 10% (5287) are enrolled on a variety of certificate and diploma

programmes, a number of which are professional development awards (PDAs).

These awards are linked to professional development in a wide range of occupations

including childcare, construction, graphic design and management. Many of them

make use of HN units. A further substantial group of students (11%) are not

registered on any programme, but are taking only one or more HN units. A further

small group of students (183) are registered on various postgraduate programmes

(not included in Table 3).

A second distinctive aspect of the contribution of the colleges is the age profile of

the student body. There are consistent data which indicate that HE level students in

the FECs are generally considerably older than undergraduates in HEIs. This can be

seen in data obtained from the Scottish Executive for 2000–2001 (Table 4).

As might be expected, part time students are generally older than full time

students, and the relatively high numbers of part time students in the FECs

accounts, in part, for the higher percentage of older students in these colleges when

compared with the HEIs. However, it is also notable that full time undergraduate

level students in the FECs are generally older than the full time students in HEIs;

30% of full time FEC students are aged 25 or more, while only 14% of those in HEIs

are in this age category. While more up to date data are not directly comparable with

these figures, they confirm this pattern. Data available from the SFEFC Infact

Table 3. Students on undergraduate higher education level courses in Scottish FE colleges 2003–

2004

Type of course Number of

students

Percentage of all HE level

students in FECs

First degree 1144 2

Professional body qualification 913 2

Scottish vocational qualifications levels 4 & 5 1082 2

HND or equivalent 16,705 32

HNC or equivalent 21,628 41

Other HN level diplomas or certificates 5287 10

HN units only 6659 11

Total 52,818 100

Source: SFEFC Infact database available through the SFEFC web site (www.sfefc.ac.uk/infact/).

Blurring the boundaries 47

database indicate that 50% of all HE level students in FECs in 2003–2004 were aged

25 or over, while data from HESA indicate that only 20% of undergraduates on first

degrees were in this age group (SFEFC, 2005; Scottish Executive, 2005). This age

profile is associated with the extent to which the FECs are successful in attracting

adult returners who often lack traditional qualifications, and provide opportunities

for these students to progress in a gradual way through a range of qualifications

within the colleges (Gallacher et al., 1997, 2002).

A third aspect of the distinctive contribution that the FE colleges make to

HE provision in Scotland is the opportunities the sector provides for students to

enter with what are often described as ‘non-traditional’ qualifications. The normal

minimum entry requirement for school leavers entering degree programmes in

Scottish HEIs would be three Highers (the main SQA qualification for pupils

completing secondary education) or two A levels for those entering with English

qualifications. However, most degree programmes will expect qualifications

considerably above this minimum level. When the qualifications of entrants to

HNC and HND programmes are considered, a very different picture emerges. Data

drawn from the SFEFC Infact database indicate that for all entrants to HNCs only

11% had three or more Highers while 16% of entrants to HNDs had this level of

qualification. For the school leaver group there is some evidence that the proportion

is somewhat higher, although still relatively low. This profile of entrants to HNC/D

programmes is in part associated with the success of the FE colleges in attracting

adult returners and providing opportunities for these students to progress onto the

HN programmes (Gallacher et al., 1997; Crossan et al., 2003).

This evidence of the success of the FE colleges in attracting adult returners who

do not have traditional qualifications is also associated with the fourth aspect of the

distinctive contribution of the Scottish FE colleges to HE, which has been their

success in attracting students from areas of social and economic deprivation. The

work of Gillian Raab and her colleagues at Napier University is the main source of

data on this issue. Data from their most recent study are presented in Table 5 (Raab

& Small, 2003).

Table 4. Undergraduate students in Higher Education in Scotland, 2000–2001, by age, mode of

attendance and sector

Full time Part time All undergraduates

HEIs FECs HEIs FECs HEIs FECs

20 & under 54% 55% 4% 15% 45% 32%

21–24 32% 15% 11% 12% 28% 13%

25–29 6% 9% 14% 15% 7% 13%

30 & over 8% 21% 70% 58% 20% 42%

Total number of

students

116,253 31,293 26,378 41,168 142,631 72,461

Source: Scottish Executive (2002).

48 J. Gallacher

This study used the Carstairs Deprivation Index to allocate students to one of five

groups on the basis of their postcode. Group 1 includes the least socially and

economically deprived areas, while Group 5 includes the most deprived areas. The

population of Scotland is equally divided between these five groups. The Scottish

universities are divided into three categories. The ‘ancient universities’ are the four

oldest, dating back to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. These continue to be the

most prestigious universities, and they enjoy a high level of demand for their places.

The group described as the ‘1960s universities’ were established at the time of

expansion of the British university sector in the 1960s following the Robbins Report,

while the ‘post-1992 universities’ are the former polytechnic type institutions which

were designated as universities, under the terms of the 1992 Further and Higher

Education Act, at the time of the abolition of the binary line in Britain. It can be seen

from Table 5 that the universities, and particularly the ancient universities, recruit a

disproportionately large group of students from the least deprived areas, and a

relatively small number of students from the most deprived areas. By contrast the FE

colleges draw their students far more equally from all areas, including the most

deprived. There are a number of reasons which help explain the success of these

colleges in attracting students from these areas. These include the fact that many

colleges are located close to areas of social and economic deprivation (Raab &

Davidson, 1999), the range of provision available in the colleges, the emphasis on

widening access and social inclusion in many colleges, and the associated cultural

ethos of the colleges.

The final aspect of the distinctive contribution of the FE colleges to HE in Scotland

is the tradition of part time provision, which continues despite the growth of full time

provision (noted above). Data from the SFEFC Infact database indicate that 52% of

all HE level students in FECs were part time in 2003–2004 (SFEFC, 2005). Within

the FE sector, part time study is particularly common among students on HNCs

(58%) and students studying for other certificates and diplomas (86%). This reflects

the continuing tradition of undertaking study while in employment, as part of

continuing professional development. It should also be noted that in both the FEC

and HEI sectors, many part time students are not completing programmes which lead

to qualifications such as HNC/Ds or degrees, but are undertaking study which may

only consist of one or two units or modules, or a short course of some kind.

Table 5. Undergraduate level students in Scotland by Carstairs deprivation category 2001

Deprivation group Ancient

universities

1960s

universities

Post-1992

universities

FECs OU

15least deprived 37.8 29.7 28.1 19.5 27.7

2 23.5 23.4 21.2 21.0 24.4

3 17.8 20.5 18.5 21.5 20.8

4 12.4 15.3 17.4 19.6 16.1

55most deprived 8.5 11.1 14.8 18.4 11.0

Source: Raab and Small/SHEFC (2003).

Blurring the boundaries 49

However, while these part time programmes remain a strong feature of HN

provision within the colleges, the recent growth of full time HN courses has already

been noted. This growth has been particularly concentrated in HND programmes,

where 90% of students are full time. However, there has also been an important

growth of full time HNC programmes, where 42% of students are now full time,

(SFEFC, 2005). This pattern of a continuing strong tradition of part time study being

maintained alongside a strong growth in full time programmes in the FE colleges is a

further indicator of the complexity of the patterns of provision within HE in Scotland.

Blurring the boundaries between the FEC and HEI sectors

The discussion in the previous section has emphasized the distinctive nature of HE

in the FE sector in Scotland. Nevertheless, despite the distinctiveness of this

provision there is evidence that the boundaries between the FEC and HEI sectors

are being blurred in a number of different ways.

The first development which can be commented on here is the growth of links of

various kinds between the HEIs and FECs in Scotland which have been designed to

encourage and facilitate the transfer of students from FECs to HEIs. The

establishment of the Scottish Wider Access Programme (SWAP) in 1987 to support

the development of access courses, which would encourage the progression of

students from FECs to HEIs, has been noted above. During the 1990s a growing

number of links between FECs and HEIs at the level of HE courses also emerged.

These mainly took the form of articulation arrangements, which enabled students to

transfer from HNC/D programmes in FECs to complete degrees in HEIs rather than

the franchising arrangements, which were common in England. Articulation

arrangements can be described in terms of a continuum ranging from formal

agreements with guaranteed places, which enable students to progress to the next

year of study, to informal arrangements with no guaranteed places, and where

progression is a more open question. Within this continuum there will be

considerable variations in the agreements, both within and between institutions

(Alexander et al., 1995). In a number of cases 2+1 or 2+2 degree programmes have

also been established in which the final one or two years of a degree are built on an

HND programme which students have completed in an FE college. These

arrangements were given further impetus by the Garrick Report (the Scottish sub-

report within the Dearing Report) which recommended that ‘colleges and HEIs

should actively collaborate to enhance and publicize access and articulation routes

into degree programmes for students at further education colleges’ (NCIHE, 1997b,

p. 49, section 4.62 and Recommendation 7).

As a result of all of these developments there is evidence of the establishment of a

substantial number of these links between FECs and HEIs. The most recent

evidence of the extent of these links has come from the Mapping, Tracking and

Bridging Project undertaken on behalf of the Scottish Advisory Committee on

Credit and Access (SACCA). This study reported that institutions were claiming

that they had established over 2500 links, around 2000 of which offer entry to years

50 J. Gallacher

two or three of degree programmes (Beveridge et al., 2004). However, it seems likely

that a number of these links may be of a relatively loose and informal nature and may

not result in substantial numbers of students transferring with credit.

Some evidence of the extent of transfer of students through these links is available

in figures which have been published by SHEFC (Table 6). In 1999–2000 they

reported that 3703 entrants to Scottish HEIs had HNC/Ds as their highest

qualification at entry (SHEFC, 2002). Given that the figures published by SFEFC

indicate that about 13,000 students completed full time HN programmes, and that

about half of these students were on HNC programmes, many of whom would

progress to HND programmes, a figure of 3703 entrants to degree programmes

could well be a fairly large proportion of all students completing full time HNC/D

programmes who are not progressing to another HN programme.

From Table 6 it can be noted that although the ‘ancient universities’ admitted

more than 10,000 students, only 303 entered on the basis of an HNC or HND. The

outcome is that, while it has been noted above that FE colleges have had

considerable success in widening access, the progression routes available to students

after study in FE colleges are still limited, and the main opportunities exist in the

post-1992 sector. Underlying this pattern there are a number of interrelated factors.

Studies have shown that articulation links are much more likely to exist between the

FE colleges and the post-1992 universities than the older universities (Alexander

et al., 1995; Maclennan et al., 2000; Osborne et al., 2000). This reflects the extent to

which the post-1992 universities have generally made widening access and

developing links with the FE colleges a much more central part of their mission.

However, it must also be noted that this has been in a context in which the older

universities, and particularly the ancients, are for the most part ‘selecting’

universities, while in many cases the post-1992 universities are ‘recruiting’

universities (Maclennan et al., 2000). This distinction refers to the situation in

which the older universities can, for the most part, select students from a pool of

traditionally well-qualified applicants. By contrast a number of departments within

the post-1992 universities need to be more active in recruiting suitable students, and

FE colleges can be a valuable source of recruits. In this context there has been

greater interest in the post-1992 universities in establishing articulation agreements.

Table 6. Students entering HEIs in Scotland for whom HNC/D or similar was highest

qualification on entry: 1999–2000

Number of entrants with HNC/D

as highest qualification

Percentage of all entrants

Ancient universities 303 3%

1960s universities 568 8%

Post-1992 universities 2665 25%

Art/music colleges 167 13%

Total 3703 13%

Source: SHEFC (2002).

Blurring the boundaries 51

This evidence of different patterns of linkage between FECs and HEIs is part of a

wider pattern of differentiation within the HEI sector. This points to the complexity

of the landscape and boundaries which exists within a mass system of HE, a theme

which will be explored further below.

The picture of an increasingly complex landscape also emerges when the type of

courses in which students participate, and their progression to employment or

further study is considered. In particular it may be useful to consider the extent to

which the FEC sector provides HE programmes which are more clearly vocational

when compared to those provided within the HE sector.

As might be expected, given their origins, there is a strong vocational orientation in

the HNC/D programmes. Some indication of this can be seen in Table 7, which lists the

top 10 HNC and HND programmes on the basis of entries for these awards in 2001.

While these are only 10 of the numerous HNC or HND programmes available,

they do account for almost 50% of all entrants (53% of HNCs and 45% of HNDs).

However, it can also be noted in Table 7 that, in addition to the strongly vocationally

oriented programmes, social sciences is now included in the top 10 programmes for

both HNCs and HNDs. These programmes have a more academic orientation, and

many students use them as a stepping-stone towards a degree programme. This use

of HN programmes, as academic rather than vocational qualifications, is also

increasingly true for a number of other programmes, such as business administra-

tion. This reflects an important change in the use of the HN courses by many

students, and will be discussed further below.

Comparisons between the range of programmes provided in the FE colleges, and

those provided in the HEIs, bring out interesting similarities and differences. With

respect to similarities, business and administrative studies, which is clearly of

considerable importance within the FEC sector, is also the single largest subject

group within the HEIs, with 16% of all students. Social studies and engineering and

technology, with 11% and 8% respectively, are also important subject groups in

Table 7. Top 10 HNC and HND programmes on the basis of entries, 2001

HNCs HNDs

Computing 1708 Business administration 752

Social care 1318 Computing: support 571

Childcare and education 1253 Computing: software development 528

Business administration 999 Accounting 505

Administration and information

management

988 Social sciences 436

Accounting 796 Administration and information

management

431

Social sciences 534 Beauty therapy 352

Management 341 Sports coaching with sports development 321

Engineering: mechatronics 336 Travel with tourism 308

Engineering: electronics 323 Graphic design 255

Source: SQA (2002).

52 J. Gallacher

HEIs (SHEFC, 2002). When differences in the range of programmes offered are

considered, it can be noted that the second largest subject group within the HEIs is

subjects allied to medicine with 12% of all students, and humanities and languages

together account for 9% of all students. However, no similar programmes exist

within the FE sector. Similarly the HEIs are the sole providers of programmes in the

professional areas of medicine and dentistry.

Interesting patterns also emerge when the progression of students after completing

HN and degree programmes is considered. Table 8 shows that over half of the full

time students completing HNCs and HNDs progress to further study or training

(56%), while slightly less than one third (31%) enter permanent home employment.

A further small number (4%) were reported as entering temporary or overseas

employment, while 4% were classified as other. Full details of these students have

not been included in the table as the numbers are small.

These figures for HN diplomas can be contrasted with those for graduates from

first degrees of whom 21% were recorded as entering study or training, while 46%

entered permanent UK employment (Scottish Executive, 2004). It would appear

then that for many full time HN students, their HNC or HND is a transitional

qualification from which they move on to further study or training. For many HNC

students this will probably involve progression to HNDs. Unfortunately at present

there is no systematic data which record the type of further study or training which

students undertake.

The data presented above, relating to both subjects of study and destination of

graduates/diplomates, would suggest that a distinction between the FEC sector as

the more vocational sector and the HEI sector as the more academic may be less

useful as a mass system of HE evolves.

A further theme which must be explored when considering the complex landscape

of mass HE in Scotland, and the inadequacy of a simple division between FECs and

HEIs is the evidence of differentiation between a number of sub-sectors within the

HE sector. It has already been suggested above that four main sub-sectors can be

identified within the system of HE in Scotland. There is now evidence that the

differences referred to briefly above are part of a wider pattern of differentiation and

stratification in Scottish higher education (Murphy et al., 2002; Gallacher, 2005).

This research indicates that the four sub-sectors which have been identified have

increasingly differentiated roles in Scottish higher education. The ancient

Table 8. First destination of full time HNC & HND students by subject and level of qualification

obtained 2000–2001 (percentages)

Permanent home employment Study/training Unemployed

HNC HND HNC HND HNC HND

31 31 56 56 5 6

Source: Scottish Executive (2004).

Blurring the boundaries 53

universities continue to have an important role in providing undergraduate

education for middle class and relatively highly qualified young people. However,

opportunities for older students who do not have ‘traditional’ qualifications are more

limited. It has also been noted that a relatively small proportion of undergraduates in

these institutions come from areas of social and economic deprivation, and that

progression from HNC/D programmes in FE colleges to degree programmes is

limited. A further key characteristic of these institutions is that they continue to be

the leading research institutions in Scotland. These four universities have 60% of the

research students and receive 65% of the funding which SHEFC distributes to

support research. The second sub-sector, 1960s universities, also have a high

percentage of undergraduates who are young, full time and ‘traditionally’ qualified.

While, when compared with the ancients, they have a higher percentage of

undergraduates from less advantaged areas, links with FE colleges and opportunities

for progression from HNC/D programmes to degree are still limited. These

universities do have a significant research profile, but it is much more limited than

the ancient universities (28% of research students). However, these four universities

are now the main providers of taught postgraduate programmes in Scotland (43%).

The post-1992 universities have a much more heterogeneous student population.

Much higher proportions of their undergraduates are older students who do not have

traditional qualifications and who come from less advantaged areas than in the other

two university sectors. There are far higher numbers of students who progress from

HNC/D programmes in FE colleges to degrees in these universities, and a higher

proportion of undergraduates are part time. Research activity in these universities is

still relatively low (11% of students in Scottish HEIs), although there is a growing

profile of taught postgraduate programmes (23% of students in Scottish HEIs)

(Murphy et al., 2002; Gallacher, 2005).

It would appear then that in a mass system of HE, of the type which has emerged

in Scotland, there are a number of sub-sectors which make quite distinct

contributions to higher education provision, and complex patterns of relationships

are emerging between institutions within the different sectors. Within this overall

picture the pattern of relationships between FE colleges and HEIs is one element.

However, the pattern is not just one of differentiation, but also of stratification. In

this context an important challenge for policy is to ensure that opportunities for

entry and progression within HE are not limited in ways which reinforce patterns of

inequality (Osborne et al., 2000; Field, 2004). A number of initiatives, at the levels

of both policy and strategy, which are designed to help shape the development of

tertiary education in Scotland, have emerged in recent years, and these will now be

briefly considered.

Reshaping further and higher education in Scotland: the role of policy and

strategy initiatives

The major change which has been introduced at the level of policy and structure

in Scotland has been the merging of the Scottish Further Education

54 J. Gallacher

Funding Council (SFEFC) and the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council

(SHEFC) to create the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council

(SFHEFC). This development was proposed by the Scottish Parliament in the Final

report on lifelong learning (Scottish Parliament, 2002) and the Further and Higher

Education (Scotland) Act 2005 has now been passed to provide the legislative

framework for this change. The main underlying reason for this development is to

provide a more coherent system of further and higher education in Scotland. It

builds on a number of initiatives already underway to develop links between FECs

and HEIs. These have included the establishment of regional wider access forums.

These bring together representatives of the universities and FE colleges in four

regions throughout Scotland. They are designed to encourage cooperation between

universities and colleges, to widen access to higher education and facilitate transfer

from FE colleges to universities. This has resulted in a number of projects focusing

on particular issues or problems, e.g., the transition from college to university. While

the work of these forums has not been systematically evaluated, there is no clear

evidence that they have resulted in any significant re-shaping of links between FECs

and HEIs.

A related national initiative, established under the auspices of the Scottish

Advisory Committee on Credit and Access (SACCA), and funded by the joint

Funding Councils, has been the Mapping Tracking and Bridging Project. This has

been designed:

N to provide more comprehensive information about the opportunities for students

to progress from HNC/D programmes in FE colleges to degree programmes

(mapping);

N to track the progress of students who make this transition (tracking); and

N to assist in preparing them for the transition from FE to university (bridging).

The Mapping Project has resulted in a web site on which all the links between FECs

and HEIs, which have been identified, have been plotted. This can be used by

students to identify and plan progression opportunities. The Bridging Project has

resulted in the production of material to assist with the transition of students from

FECs to HEIs. The Tracking Project has identified the issues associated with

establishing systems to track the progression of students from FECs to HEIs, but has

so far achieved relatively limited success in the implementation of these systems

(Beveridge et al., 2004).

These initiatives have also been accompanied by funding initiatives designed to

encourage and support links between FECs and HEIs. However, as has been

indicated above, the links between these institutions remain patchy and depend

much more on initiatives at an institutional level than on national policy and

strategy. It will be interesting to see the extent to which the establishment of a joint

Funding Council will create a new national context which will seek to have greater

influence on these developments.

The second major national initiative which is of potential significance in reshaping

these links between FECs and HEIs is the Scottish Credit and Qualifications

Blurring the boundaries 55

Framework (SCQF). The following are among the objectives identified for the

Framework:

N Make the relationships between qualifications clearer.

N Clarify entry and exit points, and routes for progression.

N Maximize the opportunities for credit transfer.

N Assist learners to plan their progress and learning. (SCQF, 2003, p. 1)

This framework has been developed on a partnership basis in which higher

education, represented through the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) and

Universities Scotland, has played an important part. This is now an important

element in the Scottish Executive’s lifelong learning strategy (Scottish Executive,

2003), and there have been high expectations, particularly within the FE sector, that

this would lead to increased articulation links between FECs and HEIs, and more

progression opportunities for students. However, the evidence from a recent

evaluation study is that its impact in this respect has so far been limited (Gallacher

et al., 2005). This study also provided evidence of a recognition, among many

groups within the lifelong learning community in Scotland, of the need to consider

how the opportunities that the Framework provides to introduce change could be

used more effectively, although there was also considerable wariness about using a

framework of this kind to impose change. The issue of the further developments

which may be associated with the establishment of the Framework, and their impact,

raises interesting questions for future investigation.

Conclusion

Scotland can now be seen to have developed a mass system of higher education

which is highly differentiated with a number of sub-sectors within it. The FECs, in

their role as providers of higher education, may be seen as one important sub-sector

which now makes a distinctive contribution to HE in Scotland (while recognizing

that this is only one role for the FECs). The links which exist between FECs and

HEIs vary greatly, and these may be seen as part of a wider pattern of diversity and

complexity in higher education provision in Scotland. While differentiation is to be

expected within a mass system of HE, and is in many respects a strength of systems

of this kind, it can also be associated with stratification, and there is evidence of this

in Scotland. Policy initiatives have been and are being taken to address these issues.

However, the impact of some of the most significant of these initiatives will be the

subject of future investigation.

Notes

1. The UHI Millennium Institute is the embryonic University of the Highlands and Islands

(UHI), which it is hoped will be designated as a university within the next few years. It is itself

an interesting example of blurring of boundaries between FE and HE in that the institution is

made up of 13 FE colleges, and some smaller specialist institutions, whose HE level work

now comes under the auspices of The UHI Millennium Institute while the FE level, or

56 J. Gallacher

non-advanced, work is still under the auspices of each college. Degrees are built on the higher

national certificates or diplomas (HNC/Ds) that the colleges offer, and are at present validated

by the Open University Validation Service.

2. Scottish Enterprise is the agency responsible for economic development and training in

Scotland. It operates through a network of local enterprise companies (LECs).

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