students’ experiences of full-time foundation experiences of full-time foundation degrees 2...

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Students’ experiences of full-time Foundation degrees

A Report to fdf

Holly Higgins, Jane Artess and Isla Johnstone


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Contents

Foreword 3

ExecutiveSummary 5

Introduction 7

Futuretrack 8

1 FoundationdegreeStudentsatStage1:Applying to Higher Education 10

2 FoundationdegreeStudentsatStage2:Student Experience 22

3 FoundationdegreeStudentsatStage3:Reflecting on Higher Education 32

KeyIssues 48

References 50

Appendix:FuturetrackSurveyQuestions 51

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Foreword

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ItisoftenarguedthattheUKhasaworld-classhighereducationsector.Itis,however,aneducationsysteminwhichprivilege

isdeeplyembeddedandwhichexcludesmanypeoplefromthebenefitsthataretobegainedfromhighereducation.Other

organisationsworktoraiseaspirationamongyoungpeopleandencouragethemtoengagewithwhathighereducationhas

tooffer.fdfisfocuseduponchangingthenatureofwhatisbeingofferedtopeoplewhoarealreadyinwork-peoplewho

knowthathighereducationwillhelpthemtogetonintheircareersbutforwhomcampus-based,conventionaluniversity

educationjustisn’tanoption–andindividualswhowantanemployment-focussedalternativetothetraditionaluniversity

offer.Forfdf,thisrepresentsacommitmenttosocialjusticewithinourhighereducationsystem.

fdfhasrecentlypublishedthefindingsofanumberofresearchstudiesthathavegenerated invaluableevidenceofthe

impact of Foundation degrees. Research led by Claire Callender (Birkbeck) has confirmed that many employees take

Foundationdegreesbecausetheirexistingqualificationsareinadequatefortheircareeraspirationsandtheywanttoget

ahead.Employeesreportarangeofbenefitsasaresultofstudying,includingbetterperformanceintheirjob,greaterjob

satisfactionandenhancedself-belief.OngoinglongitudinalsurveyswillrevealtheimpactofaFoundationdegreeontheir

longer-termcareerprospects.

ThisreportbyJaneArtessandcolleaguesfocusesonfull-timestudents.Thesestudentsaregenerallyyoungerthanthose

whochoosepart-timestudyandmanywillentertheworkforceforthefirsttimeoncompletingaFoundationdegree.The

research revealed that their primary motive for entering a Foundation degree was as a way of accessing employment

opportunities.Whencomparedwithotherhighereducationapplicants,thisgroupwasfarlesslikelytobelievethathigher

education was‘the normal thing for someone like me to do’ and this is consistent with the proven role of Foundation

degreesinwideningparticipationinhighereducation.Oneyearintotheircoursethesestudentswereverypositiveabout

theirexperiences.

Aswithanyresearch,thisstudyraisedquestionsaswellasprovidinganswers. It is, forexample,puzzlingthataquarter

of those surveyed felt that their courses did not offer‘value for money’. Given that nearly 80% of the students felt that

thetuitionand learningsupport theyhadreceivedwasexcellent, it seemsunlikely that this reflects thequalityof their

experience.Itisperhapsasignofdifficulttimes.Thestudentswhoparticipatedinthisresearchwereamongthefirstgroup

topayvariabletuitionfeesandgraduatedatatimeofeconomicrecessionandrisinggraduateunemployment.


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Despitesuchdifficulties,theresultsofthisresearchanalysisareveryencouragingandwillprovideausefulevidencebase

forthosewhoareconsideringinvestinginFoundationdegrees,whetherstudents,employersorinstitutions.Itisclearthat

theirdevelopmentbyinstitutionshasdeliveredpositivelevelsofstudentsatisfaction.Giventhefocusthattherehasbeenin

recenttimesonstudentexperience,thisresearchofferssomevaluableinsightsintoFoundationdegreestudentperspectives.

As an organisation fdf is committed to supporting employers, apprentices and employees to gain access to the kind

of higher education opportunities that they need whether this is through the Foundation degree, another work-based

qualification or through short course and modular provision.Within this suite of possibilities it is important to develop

coherentevidencebasesuponwhichtoevaluatethedifferentoptionsanditisclearfromthisresearchthattheFoundation

degreehassuccessfullydeliveredbenefittothosewhohaveselectedthisroutetowardscareerdevelopmentandpersonal

fulfilmentthroughhighereducation.

Professor Derek Longhurst

ChiefExecutive,fdf

August2010

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Executivesummary

• RecentstudiescommissionedbyfdfandothersilluminatethecomplexityoftheFoundationdegreestudentexperience

andparticularlytheexperiencesofthosewhoarestudyingonapart-timebasis.However,ratherlessisknownabout

theexperiencesofFoundationdegreestudentsstudyingonafull-timebasis.Inthisreportweseektoremedythisby

usingdatafromFuturetrack1toilluminatetheexperiencesoffull-timeFoundationdegreestudentsastheyapply,enter

andleavehighereducation.

• Most Futuretrack Foundation degree applicants decided to enter higher education because they saw it as part

oftheir longer-termcareerplansandbelieveditwouldenablethemtogetagoodjob.However,theyalsofeltthat

highereducationwasvaluableinitsownright,andexpectedtheexperienceofbeingastudenttoprovidethemwith

opportunitiesforpersonalgrowth.Attheendoftheircourse,Foundationdegreestudentsdescribedbeingastudent

asfun,buthardwork.Theyfeltthattheexperienceofbeingastudenthadmadethemmoreemployable,andwere

optimisticabouttheirlong-termcareerprospects.

• Despitedescribinghighereducationasa‘goodinvestment’whentheyfirstapplied,onlyaround40%ofFoundation

degree students felt that their course was‘good value for money’.This is particularly troubling given such positive

reviewsoftheexperienceasawholeandwarrantsfurtherinvestigation.

• AroundathirdofFoundationdegreeapplicantsindicatedthattheyhadchosentostudyasubjectbecausetheyenjoyed

it,whileoverhalfappliedtocoursestheybelievedwouldenablethemtoenteraparticularoccupationorleadtogood

employmentopportunitiesingeneral.Attheendoftheircourse,fouroutoffiveFoundationdegreestudentsfeltthat

subjecttheyhadstudiedwouldgivethemanadvantagewhenlookingforwork,andoverthree-quartersbelievedthe

skillstheyhaddevelopedontheircoursehadmadethemmoreemployable.

• MostFoundationdegreeapplicantsindicatedthattheirchoiceofinstitutionwasdeterminedbytheirdesiretostudy

a particular course.They were much less likely than students on other courses to be influenced by an institution’s

reputationoritsrankingin‘gooduniversityguides’,andwhentheywerereflectingontheirexperienceonlyhalffelt

thatbeingagraduateoftheiruniversitywouldgivethemanadvantagewhenlookingforwork.

1 Futuretrackisalongitudinalstudyexploringcareerdecision-makingamongstudentsinhighereducation.


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• Whenaskedabouttheadviceandguidancetheyhadreceivedbeforeapplyingtohighereducation,Foundationdegree

applicantsindicatedthatthematerialprovidedtheinstitutionsthemselveswasveryuseful,butfeltthattheywould

havebenefitedfrommorehelpandadvicewhenchoosingwhichcoursetostudy.Overathirdfeltthattheyhadnot

received enough information about the relationship between higher education courses and employment options,

andmorethanhalfweredissatisfiedwiththeadvicetheyhadbeengivenaboutthecareerimplicationsoftheirpost-

16subjectchoices.Foundationdegreeapplicants foundteachersand lecturers tobeauseful sourceofadviceand

guidance,butonlyathirdfoundtheirschoolcareersadvisershelpful.

• ThroughouttheirstudiesFoundationdegreestudentscontinuedtoturntotutorsandcourseleadersforcareersadvice,

butintheirfinalyearnearlytwo-thirdshadnotusedtheiruniversitycareersserviceatall.Someindicatedthattheydid

notneedtousetheservicebecausetheyalreadyknewwhattheywantedtodoaftertheyfinishedtheircourse,but

othersappearednottoknowwhattheserviceofferedorwhyitwouldbeapplicabletothem.

• Attheendoftheirhighereducationexperience,mostFoundationdegreestudentswerestillhappywiththeircourse,

andtwo-thirdsindicatedthattheywouldstillchoosetodothesamecourseiftheyhadtheirtimeagain.

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Introduction

GrowthinthenumbersofstudentsworkingtowardsFoundationdegreessuggeststhattherouteisbecomingincreasingly

popularwithstudentsandalsowithemployers,manyofwhomactivelysupportpart-timeFoundationdegreestudents

(Callenderet al,2010).ClearreturnstoFoundationdegreelearningareidentifiedonarangeoffactorsandinparticularin

relationtoincreasinglevelsofself-confidenceintheworkcontext(Yorkeet al,2010).Inhisreviewofliteraturerelatingto

Foundation degrees, Harvey (2009) identified a range of evidence supporting the successful embedding of Foundation

degreesasawayofachievingeffectivework-basedlearningandengagingemployers;althoughasYorkeet al(2010)note,

fullyengagingemployersstillpresentschallenges.

Recentstudiescommissionedby fdfandothersilluminatethecomplexityoftheFoundationdegreestudentexperience

andparticularlytheexperiencesofthosewhoarestudyingonapart-timebasis.However,ratherlessisknownaboutthe

experiencesofFoundationdegreestudentsstudyingonafull-timebasis. Inthisreportweseektoremedythisbyusing

Futuretrack data2 to illuminate the experiences of full-time Foundation degree students as they apply, enter and leave

highereducation.

2 TheFuturetrackandFuturetrack:Part-timestudieswerecommissionedbytheHigherEducationCareersServicesUnit(HECSU)inordertocapturethecomplexityofcareerdevelopment byexaminingtheopinionsandmotivationsofstudentsaswellastheirviewoftheinterventionswhichtrytosupportthem.

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Futuretrack

Futuretrackisalongitudinalstudywhichexplorescareerdecision-makingamongstudentsinhighereducation.Itisfunded

bytheHigherEducationCareersServicesUnit(HECSU),andconductedbytheInstituteforEmploymentResearchatthe

UniversityofWarwick.Itsultimateobjectiveistoproviderobustandcomprehensiveevidencetoclarifythesocio-economic

andeducationalfactorsthatdeterminecareerchoicesandoutcomes.

In order to explore how respondents are accessing careers information and making sense of the relationship between

highereducationandcareeropportunitiesstudentsaresurveyedatfourkeystages:

1. Summer2006(priortohighereducationentry)

2. Summer2007(oneyearon)

3. Autumn2009(whenmostwillhavecompletedtheirundergraduateprogrammeofstudy)

4. Winter2011/12(whenmanywillhaveenteredthelabourmarket)

In2006theresearchteamaimedtoconductacensusofthepopulation(asopposedtostartingoutbyselectingasample);

consequentlyallfull-time2006UCASapplicantswereinvitedtocompletethefirstsurveybetweenMayandDecember2006.

AstheUniversitiesandCollegesAdmissionService(UCAS)isabletocontactthemajorityofhighereducationapplicantsby

email,anemailcontainingapersonallinktotheonlinequestionnairewassentfromUCASonbehalfoftheresearchteam.

BetweenJuneandDecember2007Stage1respondentswhohadindicatedawillingnesstoparticipateinfuturerounds

ofdatacollectionwerere-contactedandinvitedtocompletetheStage2questionnaire.Newentrantswerealsorecruited

viahighereducationinstitutionsandtheFuturetrackwebsites.Theseentrantswerenewtothesurvey,buthadappliedto

UCASin2006.

AttheendofJanuary2009Stage2respondentswhohadindicatedawillingnesstoparticipateinfutureroundsofdata

collectionwere re-contactedand invitedtocomplete theStage3questionnaire.Newentrantswereagain recruitedvia

highereducationinstitutionsandtheFuturetrackwebsites.Researcherswerealsoabletocontacteligiblestudentsthrough

theHigherEducationFundingCouncilforEngland(HEFCE)viathe2009NationalStudentSurvey(NSS).Theseentrantswere

newtothesurvey,buthadappliedtoUCASin2006.


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It was understood that the reliance on web-based collection methods might lead to significant response bias, but the

potentialtocompareresponsewiththefullpopulationprofileintermsofmostkeyvariables–age,educationalandsocial

background,ethnicity,regionallocation–meantthatitwaspossibletoidentifybiases,toweightdatatotakeaccountof

them,andtoconsiderarangeofstrategiesto‘rebalance’thesurveypopulation.

ThisreportexaminestheexperiencesofthosestudentswhoappliedthroughUCASforaplaceonaFoundationdegree

course.WhereappropriateitalsocomparestheirexperiencestothoseoftheFuturetrackcohortasawhole.

• Stage 1iscomprisedof3,681applicantswhowereacceptedtostudyfull-timeinhighereducationinthe2006UCAS

applicationroundandsaidtheyplannedtostudyforaFoundationdegree.

• Stage 2iscomprisedof1,279applicantswhosaidthattheystartedaFoundationdegreein2006andwerecurrentlyin

highereducation.

• Stage 3iscomprisedof237applicantswhowereintheirfinalyearinhighereducationandwhosaidatStage1that

theyplannedtostartaFoundationdegreein2006andwereacceptedtoenterhighereducationorwhosaidinStage2

thattheystartedaFoundationdegreein2006andwerecurrentlyinhighereducation.

Thegreatestchallengefacingtheresearchteamis respondentretentionandconsiderableresourcesarebeing invested

inthis.AsalongitudinalstudyFuturetrackisdependentonthecontinuedparticipationoftheoriginalcohort(although

additionalstudentswereinvitedtojoinatlaterstages).Consequentlyitisnecessarytomaintaincontactwithparticipants

overalongperiodoftime,somethingthatcouldnotbedonewithoutthesupportofthewiderhighereducationcommunity.

TheresearchteamisparticularlygratefulforthesupportofcolleaguesattheUniversitiesandCollegesAdmissionsService

(UCAS),UniversitiesUK(UUK),theNationalUnionofStudents(NUS),theAssociationofGraduateCareersAdvisoryServices

(AGCAS),theHigherEducationStatisticsAgency(HESA),andthenationalHigherEducationFundingCouncilsforEngland,

NorthernIreland,ScotlandandWales.

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1 FoundationdegreeStudentsatStage1:

ApplyingtoHigherEducation

Thissectionreferstothe3,681applicantswhosaidtheyplannedtostudyforaFoundationdegreewhentheywereacceptedontoafull-timehighereducationcourseinthe2006UCASapplicationround.AtStage1around4%oftheFuturetrackpopulationhadappliedtostudyforaFoundationdegree.

Futuretrack Foundation degree applicants

Whentheyappliedtohighereducation,36%ofFoundationdegreeapplicantswereaged18orunder,30%wereaged19-20,16%wereaged21-24,and18%wereaged25andover.Justoverhalf(51%)weremen.Aroundaquarter(26%)camefromamanagerial/professionalbackground,whilearound1in5(22%)werefromaroutine/manualoccupationalbackground.Overhalf(54%)ofapplicantsapplyingforFoundationdegreecourseswereenteringhighereducationwithnon-standardqualifications(comparedto35%ofallFuturetrackapplicants).Conversely,only6%ofFoundationdegreeapplicantsenteredhighereducationwithover360UCAStariffpoints(comparedwith25%ofallFuturetrackapplicants).

Why did Foundation Degree applicants decide to enter higher education?

Overhalf(55%)ofFuturetrackFoundationdegreeapplicants(and55%oftheFuturetrackpopulationasawhole)indicatedthat the main reason they decided to apply to higher education was because they felt it was part of their longer-termcareerplansorwouldenable themtogetagood job (Figure1.1).This suggests thatFoundationdegreeapplicantsareprimarilylookingathighereducationasawayofaccessingemploymentopportunities.Itisalsoconsistentwithfindingsfrompreviousstudies,whichsuggestthatmostFoundationdegreestudentschoosetoenterhighereducationinordertoenhancetheircareerprospects(GreenwoodandLittle,2008;FoundationDirect,2008).

Whenaskedtoconsideralltheinfluencesthathadpromptedthemtoapplytohighereducation,73%saidthattheysawhighereducationaspartoftheirlonger-termcareerplansand73%feltthatitwouldenablethemtogetagoodjob.Aroundtwo-thirds(67%)ofFoundationdegreeapplicantsreportedthattheywantedtostudyaparticularcourseorsubject,whilearoundthreeinfive(58%)thoughtparticipatinginhighereducationwouldhelpthemtorealisetheirpotential.

Aroundoneinfive(21%)indicatedthattheirparentsencouragedthemtoapplytoenterhighereducation,comparedtoaroundoneinthree(31%)oftheFuturetrackcohortasawhole.Foundationdegreeapplicantswerelesslikelythanotherapplicantstoclaimthatenteringhighereducationwas‘thenormalthingtodoforsomeonelikeme’(23%comparedto36%). Futuretrack Foundation degree applicants were much more likely than other applicants to be applying to higher


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educationwithnon-standardeducationalqualifications,andTierneyandSlack(2005:376)havesuggestedthatFoundationdegrees are particularly attractive to those lacking formal qualifications ‘because they place emphasis on work-basedlearningblendedwithconventionalacademicstudy’.Theirnon-traditionaleducationalbackgroundmay, inpart,explainwhy Foundation degree applicants were less likely than other applicants to think applying to higher education was a‘normal’thingforthemtodo.

Veryfewfull-timeFoundationdegreeapplicants(only5%)appliedtohighereducationbecausetheyhadbeenencouragedtodosobytheiremployer.Incomparison,researchinvestigatingtheexperiencesofpart-timeFoundationdegreestudentssuggeststhat,forthisgroup,employersplayamuchmoreimportantroleinpromptingastudents’entrytohighereducation,withmorethanathirdreportingthattheyfirststartedthinkingaboutstartingacourseafterbeingencouragedtodosobytheiremployer(Callenderet al,2010).

Figure1.1Why did Foundation degree applicants decide to enter higher education?

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Itispartofmylonger-termcareerplans

Toenablemetogetagoodjob

Iwanttorealisemypotential

Iwanttostudytheparticularcourse/subject

Iwasn’tsurewhattodonextanditgavememoreoptions

Itisthenormalthingtodoforsomebodylikeme

Iwanttobeastudent

Other

Myparentsencouragedmetoapply

Ithoughtitwouldbebetterthanbeingunemployed

Iwasencouragedtoapplybymyemployer/colleagues

Iwasinfluencedbycareersadviceatmyschool/college

Myteachersencouragedmetoapply

Iwasinfluencedbycareersadviceelsewhere

Some/allofmyfriendsaredoingso

q Allreasonsq Mainreason

Studentswhoindicatedthattheyhad‘other’reasonsforapplyingtohighereducationweregivenanopportunitytoexplainthese reasons inmoredetail.Somewerehopingtobenefit fromthewideruniversityexperiencewhichthey feltwould‘broadentheirhorizons’.


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‘[I want to] broaden my career horizons, test my learning capabilities, and to try a new experience.’

‘[I want to] make the best career (I can) in a particular subject, to be a more cultured person [and] to be able to increase my point of view and increase my knowledge.’

Otherscitedtheirloveofaparticularsubject.

‘I am really passionate about the courses I am applying for.’

Forstudentswhowerehopingtoreturntoeducationafterhavingtakenabreak,thetimingoftheirdecisiontoapplytohighereducationwasparticularlyimportant.

‘After a break in education and working for 6 years, I have found I cannot achieve much more in my current job. I have always wanted to return to university to complete my degree, and now have the opportunity… I am now more secure financially.’

The value of higher education

Thissectionlooksatapplicants’attitudestowardshighereducationpolicyandthevalueofhighereducation.Foundationdegreeapplicantswereextremelypositiveabouthighereducation;over90%agreedthatitisvaluableinitsownright,notjustaspreparationforemployment(Figure1.2).Over90%felthighereducationqualificationswereagoodinvestment,andaround70%agreedthatadegreeisessentialformostgoodjobs.Over80%indicatedthattheysawtheirtimeinhighereducation as an opportunity to clarify their career options, and over 90% believed that being a student would providethemwithopportunitiesforpersonalgrowth.Foundationdegreeapplicantswereonlyslightlymorelikelythanotherfull-timeapplicantstoworryaboutthattheywouldfindthelevelofworkdifficult(47%ofFoundationdegreeapplicantswereworriedaboutthis,comparedto45%oftheFuturetrackpopulationasawhole).

Over half (56%) of Foundation degree applicants (and 56% of the Futuretrack population as a whole) agreed that allinstitutionsshouldchargethesameannualfees,butasignificantminority(aroundoneinfive)disagreedwiththisassertion.

Figure1.2 How did Foundation degree students view higher education before they applied?

AnHEqualificationisagoodinvestment

BeinganHEstudentprovidesopportunitiesforpersonalgrowthandindependence

Educationisvaluableinitsownright,notjustaspreparationforemployment

Formostgoodjobsadegreeisessential

IseemytimeinHEastheopportunitytoclarifymycareeroptions

Alluniversitiesshouldchargethesameannualfees

IworrythatIwillfindHEworkdifficult

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

q Stronglyagree q Agree q Notsure q Disagree q Stronglydisagree

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What determined their choice of course?

Nearlyoneinfive(18%)ofFoundationdegreeapplicantswereapplyingtostudycreativeartsanddesign,whilearoundoneineight(12%)Foundationdegreeapplicantshadappliedtostudyabiologicalorveterinaryscience(Figure1.3).Aroundoneinten(11%)werehopingtostudyengineeringandtechnology,and9%wereapplyingtostudybusinessandadministration.

Whenaskedwhatdeterminedtheirchoiceofcourse,aroundathird(34%)ofFoundationdegreestudentsindicatedthatthemainreasontheywereapplyingtoaparticularcoursewasbecausetheyenjoyedstudyingthesubject(Figure1.4).Aroundoneinfive(19%)statedthattheyneededtocompletethecourseinordertoentertheirchosenoccupation,whilearoundoneineight(14%)hadchosenacoursetheyfeltwouldleadtogoodemploymentopportunitiesingeneral.ThesefindingsareconsistentwiththefindingsfortheFuturetrackpopulationasawhole.

Figure1.3 What subjects did Foundation degree applicants want to study?

0% 5% 10% 15% 20%

CreativeArtsandDesign

Biology,VeterinaryScience,Agricultureandrelatedsubjects

EngineeringandTechnologies

BusinessandAdministration

MathematicalandComputerSciences

MedicineandDentistry(andsubjectsalliedtoMedicine)

SocialcombinedwithSocialScience

SocialStudies

Education

Interdisciplinary,othercombinedsubjects

PhysicalSciences

MassCommunicationandDocumentation

SocialSciencecombinedwithArts

Law

Architecture,BuildingandPlanning

Languages

LinguisticsandClassics

HistoricalandPhilosophicalStudies


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Inapreviousstudy,researcherssuggestedthatyoungerFoundationdegreestudentsweremorelikelytochooseacoursebecausetheywereinterestedinthesubject,whilematurestudentsweremorelikelytosaythattheyweredoingacoursebecausetheyneededthequalificationtoenteraparticularoccupation(FoundationDirect,2008).ThisisreplicatedintheFuturetracksurvey,whereapplicantsaged26andoverweremuch less likelythanstudentsaged18andundertohaveappliedforacoursebecausetheyenjoyedthesubject(18%comparedto40%),andmuchmorelikelytohaveappliedforacoursewhichwouldenablethemtoentertheirchosenoccupation(32%comparedto14%).

Applicantswerealsoaskediftheyhadanyotherreasonsforchoosingaparticularcourse.Aroundthree-quarters(75%)ofFoundationdegreestudentsindicatedthattheywereinterestedinthecontentofthecourse,and72%saidtheyenjoyedthesubject.FoundationdegreestudentswerelesslikelythanotherFuturetrackstudentstobeapplyingtocoursesbecausetheyofferedparticipantstheopportunitytospendtimeabroad(7%comparedto14%).Theywerealsolesslikelythanotherstudentstoindicatethattheyhadchosentostudyaparticularcoursebecausetheyhadpreviouslysecuredgoodgradesinsubjectsrelatingtothatcourse(26%comparedto41%).

Figure1.4 Why did Foundation degree students choose a particular course of study?

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Ienjoystudyingthesubject

Iaminterestedinthecontentofthecourse

Ineedtocompletethiscoursetoenteraparticularoccupation

Ithinkitwillleadtogoodemploymentopportunitiesingeneral

Itwillenablemetoqualifyforanothercourse

Itisamodularcourseandenablesmetokeeparangeofoptionsopen

Igetgoodgradesinsubjectsrelatedtothiscourse

Ihaddifficultydecidinganditseemedlikeareasonableoption

Iwasadvisedthatthecoursewouldbeappropriateforme

Itincludestheopportunitytospendpartofthecourseabroad

Other

q Allreasonsq Mainreason

What determined their choice of institution?

MostFoundationdegreeapplicants (47%)appliedtoanew(post-1992)university,while8%appliedtoaRussellGroupuniversityand18%appliedtoanotherold(pre-1992)institution.Theremaining28%hadappliedto‘otherhighereducationinstitution’.

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0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

ItofferedtheparticularcourseIwanted

Visittoinstitution

Location,becauseIcouldcontinuelivingathome

Reputationoftheinstitutiongenerally

Theinstitution’sprospectus/website

Location,becauseitisanattractiveorinterestingplace

Theteachingreputationoftheuniversityordepartment

Parents/partners/otherfamilymembers

Friends

Studentsalreadystudyingatthatinstitution

Location,becauseIwantedtostudyawayfromhome

Teacher(s)

GoodUniversities’guide/leaguetable

Coursefees/bursariesavailable

Personalreasons(e.g.friendsorfamilymemberswerethere)

Researchreputationoftheuniversity/department

q Foundationdegreestudentsq AllFuturetrackstudents

Sixty per cent of Foundation degree students (and 58% of the Futuretrack population as a whole) indicated that theirchoiceofinstitutionwasdeterminedbytheirdesiretostudyaparticularcourse(Figure1.5).Asagroup,Foundationdegreestudentsweremuchlesslikelythanotherstudentstobeinfluencedbyaninstitution’sreputationforresearchorteaching,andonlyaroundathird(34%)indicatedthattheirchoicewasdeterminedbytheinstitution’sreputationmoregenerally.Similarly,Foundationdegreestudentswerealsolesslikelythanotherstudentstorefertohavebasedtheirdecisionontherecommendationofa‘gooduniversities’guideorleaguetable.

Manystudentscitedtheinstitution’slocationasplayinganimportantroleintheirdecisionmaking,butfordifferentreasons.Foundationdegreestudentsweremorelikelythanotherstudentstohaveappliedtoaninstitutionbecauseitwouldenablethemtocontinuelivingathome(34%comparedto23%),butlesslikelytohaveappliedtoaninstitutionbecauseitwasinanattractiveorinterestingplace(29%comparedto43%).Olderstudentswerealsomorelikelythanyoungerstudentstowanttoliveathome,with52%ofFoundationdegreestudentsaged26andoverindicatingthatthisdeterminedtheirchoiceofinstitutioncomparedtoaroundathird(33%)ofstudentsaged18andunder.

Figure1.5 Why did students choose to study at a given institution?


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Future Plans

Inordertoexploretheclarityoftheirlong-termcareerplansapplicantswereaskedtoplacethemselvesonascaleof1to7where1=‘IhaveaclearideaabouttheoccupationIeventuallywanttoenterandthequalificationsrequiredtodoso’,and7=‘IhavenoideawhatIwilldoafterIcompletethecourseIhaveappliedfor’.

Onlyarounda third indicatedthat theyhadaclear ideaas towhat theywereplanningtodo in the future,but76%ofFoundationdegreeapplicants (and72%ofallFuturetrackapplicants)placedthemselvesbetween1and3onthescale,whichsuggeststheyhadsomeideaastowhattheywouldliketodooncetheycompletedtheirdegree(Figure1.6).Asinthe2008Futuretrackreport,

‘This distribution of responses illustrates a bias towards the ‘instrumental’ rather than the ‘drifter’ end of the scale (Purcell and Pitcher 1996), and may well reflect the increased awareness of higher education and the labour force as markets within which participants compete – and where education is seen as an investment by students and their families who have increasingly been required to contribute to its cost’ (Purcell et al, 2008).

Figure1.6Did applicants have a clear idea as to what they wanted to do after they finished their course?

Foundation degree students and pre-higher education advice and guidance

SixtytwopercentofFoundationdegreeapplicants(and65%ofallFuturetrackapplicants)feltthattheyweregivenenough,oreventoomuch,informationabouttherangeofhighereducationcoursesthatwereavailabletothem,andaroundhalf(51%)felttheyweregivenenoughinformationaboutthealternativestohighereducation(Figure1.7).

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

Foundation degree students All Futuretrack students

r 7(Noidea)r 6r 5r 4r 3r 2r 1(Clearidea)

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However,52%ofFoundationdegreeapplicantsindicatedthattheydidnotreceiveenough(ifany)informationaboutthecareerimplicationsoftheirpost-16subjectchoices,andtheyweremorelikelythanotherapplicantstohavereceivednoneatall(26%comparedto19%).Half(50%)feltthattheyhadnotreceivedenoughinformationabouttherelationshipbetweenhighereducationcoursesandemploymentoptions,and56%indicatedthattheywouldhavepreferredmoreinthewayofindividualcareersguidance.

Itisworthnotingthatapplicantsaged26andoverwerelesslikelythanthoseaged18andundertohavebeensatisfiedwiththeamountofcareersguidancetheyreceived.Lessthanhalf(44%)oftheFoundationdegreeapplicantsaged26andoverindicatedthattheyhadbenefitedfromclassroom-basedcareersguidance(comparedto81%oftheapplicantsaged18andunder),whichmayindicatethatmaturestudentsarelessabletoaccesscareersinformationthanthosewhoarecontinuingtheireducationstraightfromschool.Similarly,only23%ofapplicantsaged26andoverfeltthattheyhadreceivedenoughinformationabouttheircareerimplicationsoftheirpost-16subjectchoices,whichmayhavecontributedtotheirfailuretoaccesshighereducationwhentheywereaschoolleaverthemselves(Purcellet al,2008).Thisisconsistentwithfindingsfromthe2008FoundationDirectstudy,whichfoundthatschoolleaversweremorelikelytobedirectedtoFoundationdegreecoursesbyteachers,universityopendaysandcareersfairs,whilematurestudentsweremorelikelytohavetorelyontheirownresearchortotalktoanemployer.

Figure1.7 How much pre-higher education information and guidance did Foundation degree students have?

Presentationaboutcareeropportunitiesbyemployers

Visitstocareersfairs

School/collegevisitstouniversities/colleges

Accesstopublicationssuchas‘GoodUniversity’guides

Classroombasedteachingoncareer/lifeplanning

Individualcareersguidance

Infoaboutcareerimplicationsofpost-16examsubjectchoices

Presentationsbyrepresentativesofuniversity/colleges

Accesstocareersinformation/guidanceoutsideschool/college

Independentvisitstouniversities/colleges

Infoaboutalternativestogoingontohighereducation

InfoabouttherangeofHEcoursesavailable

Infoabouttherelationshipbetweencoursesandemployment

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

q Toomuch q WhatIneeded q Notenough q Noneatall


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Accessing careers information

MostFoundationdegreeapplicantsfelttheywereabletoaccessalltheinformationtheyneededbeforeapplyingtohighereducation,andover80%foundtheUCASwebsiteeasytouse(Figure1.8).Applicantsfoundthematerialprovidedbytheinstitutionsthemselvestobeparticularlyuseful,with86%indicatingthattheyfounduniversitywebsitesandprospectuseshelpful. Nearly 60% felt that their teachers or lecturers had been very helpful, but only a third (32%) found the careersguidanceprovidedattheirschooluseful.Aroundoneinfour(25%)indicatedthattheyfounditdifficulttochooseacourse,and28%feltthattheywouldhavebenefitedfrommorehelpandadvicewhenchoosingwhichcoursetostudy.Overall,althoughmostapplicantsmanagedtonegotiatetheinformationthemselves,onlyaroundathird(31%)feltthattheyhadreceivedreallyexcellentcareersguidance.

Figure1.8What did Foundation degree students think about the various sources of support and guidance available to them?

Myfamilywereareverysupportiveofmychoiceofcourse

IfoundtheUCASwebsiteeasytouse

University/collegewebsitesandprospectuseswerehelpful

IhadaccesstoalltheinformationIrequiredabouthighereducationcourses

Teachers/lecturerswereveryhelpfultome

Ifounditdifficulttochoosecourse(s)

Ineededmorehelpandadviceinchoosingwhichcoursetostudy

Careersguidanceprovidedatmyschool/collegewasveryhelpfultome

Ihavehadexcellentcareersguidance

Myfriendsinfluencedmychoice(s)

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

q Stronglyagree q Agree q Notsure q Disagree q Stronglydisagree q Notapplicable

When they first applied, how were Foundation degree students planning to fund their studies?

In2004TheHigherEducationActusheredinanewsystemofvariabletuitionfeeswhichwouldenableinstitutionstosettheirownfees,allowingthemtochargestudentsupto£3,000ayear.Insteadofpayingthesefeesupfront,studentswouldbeentitledtoborrowthemoneyfromtheStudentLoansCompanyandpayitbackatalaterdate.Variabletuitionfeeswereintroducedfrom2006,whichmeantthatFuturetrackstudentswerethefirstcohorttobeaffectedbythem.

19

MostFoundationdegreestudents(andotherfull-timestudents)expectedtofundtheirstudiesbytakingoutastudentloanfromStudentLoanCompanyLimited(Figure1.9).Aroundhalf(53%)ofallFoundationdegreestudentsexpectedtofundtheirfull-timestudiesbyworkingduringterm-time,butonlyathird(33%)ofFoundationdegreestudentsaged26andoverplannedtoworkduringtheuniversityvacation(comparedto56%ofallotherFoundationdegreestudents).

Students aged 18 and under were much more likely than older students to be funding their studies by way of a non-repayableloanfromafamilymember.Thirtypercentofstudentsaged18andunderexpectedanon-payablecontributionfromafamilymember,comparedto22%ofstudentsaged19-20,19%ofstudentsaged21-24,andonly11%ofstudentsaged26andover.

Figure1.9When they first applied, how were students planning to fund their studies?

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

StudentLoanCompanyLtd

Workingduringterm-time

Workingduringholidays

Personalsavings/inheritance

Universitybursary

Non-payablecontributionsfromfamilymember

Otherformsofborrowing(e.g.overdrafts,bankloans,creditcards)

Universityhardship/accessfunds

LocalAuthority/StudentAwardAgencyforScotland

Repayableloanfromfamilymember

Sponsorship/bursaryfromemployer

Other

NationalHealthService/GeneralSocialCareCouncil


Theintroductionofstudentloansandtopupfeeshasnotnecessarilydissuadedapplicantsfromenteringhighereducation(Maringeet al,2009),butfinancialconstraintsmayplayroleindeterminingwheretheychoosetoapply,particularlyiftheapplicantisfromalowerincomefamily(CallenderandJackson,2008).

CommentsmadebyFoundationdegreestudentswhoparticipatedintheFuturetrackstudysuggestthatapplicantswereveryawareofthefinancialimplicationsoftheirchoicewhentheydecidedtoenterhighereducation.

‘I think that top-up fees are unfair as they stop a lot of people going into higher education as it will take them at least 20 years to pay, which means they have to put off having a family, buying a house and/or a car. I believe that it is crippling this generation who have to have a degree for them to get anywhere in this world.’


20

Onamorepracticalnote,2006applicantsfelttheprocessofaccessingfundinglackedclarity,andthatstudentscouldbebetteradvisedastothekindsoffundingthatmightbeavailabletothem.Theyalsostruggledwiththeactualprocessofapplyingforfundingandpayingtheirfees.

‘It is difficult to be aware of how to pay for your university fees as there doesn’t appear to be a clear guide, but also things have changed this year which adds to the confusion.’

‘I did not have enough information about funding; I was told that my course would be supported – but it is not, therefore I am struggling financially.’

‘I find the application for the student loans the hardest to apply for as I have had the least amount of information about them.’

21

ApplyingtoHigherEducation:Keyfindings

• Foundationdegreeapplicantsdecidedtoenterhighereducationbecausetheysawitaspartoftheirlonger-termcareerplansandbelieveditwouldenablethemtogetagoodjob.

• Foundationdegreeapplicantswere less likely thanotherstudents toreport that theirparentsencouragedthemtoapply to higher education, and less likely to claim that entering higher education was‘the normal thing to do forsomeonelikeme’.

• Incontrasttopart-timeFoundationdegreeapplicants,fewfull-timeFoundationdegreeapplicantsappliedtohighereducationbecausetheyhavebeenencouragedtodosobytheiremployer.

• Foundationdegreeapplicantswereextremelypositiveabouthighereducation,anddescribeditasa‘goodinvestment’.Theyfeltitwasvaluableinitsownright,andthatahigherqualificationwasessentialformostgoodjobs.

• Foundation degree applicants aged 26 and over were much less likely than applicants aged 18 and under to haveappliedtoacoursebecausetheyenjoyedthesubject,andmuchmorelikelytohaveappliedforacoursewhichwouldenablethemtoentertheirchosenoccupation.

• MostFoundationdegreeapplicantsindicatedthattheirchoiceofinstitutionwasdeterminedbytheirdesiretostudya particular course.They were much less likely than students on other courses to be influenced by an institution’sreputation,andmorelikelytohavechosenaninstitutionwhichwouldallowthemtocontinuelivingathome.

• MostFoundationdegreeapplicantsfeltthattheyweregivenenoughinformationabouttherangeofhighereducationavailable to them. However, over half indicated that they did not receive enough information about the careerimplicationsoftheirpost-16subjectchoices,andtheyweremorelikelythanstudentsapplyingforothercoursetohavereceivednoadviceatall.

• MostFoundationdegreeapplicantsexpectedtofundtheirstudybytakingouta loanfromStudentLoanCompanyLimited,andaroundhalfplannedtoworkfull-timeduringterm-time.

22


StudentExperience

Thischapterreferstothe1,279applicantswhorespondedtothesecondstageoftheFuturetrackstudywhen they were one year into their course. At Stage 2 around 4% of the Futuretrack population werestudyingforaFoundationdegree.

Teaching and Learning

Oneyear intotheircoursestudentswereaskedtoreflectontheirday-to-dayexperienceofbeingastudent.Theywereinvitedtoevaluatethetuitionandlearningsupporttheyreceived,andtodescribetheamountofworktheywererequiredtodofortheircourse.

IngeneralFoundationdegreestudentswereverypositiveabouttheirexperienceofhighereducation.Mostfeltthattheyhadsufficientaccesstolibraryandweb-basedfacilities,andnearlytwo-thirdsagreedthattheyweregivengoodfeedbackontheirprogress(Figure2.1).Around90%ofFoundationdegreestudentsfeltthattheyhadapositiveexperienceattheiruniversityorcollege,andoverthree-quarters(77%)agreedthatthetuitionandlearningsupporttheyreceivedontheircoursewasexcellent.Thisfeedbackisconsistentwiththefindingsofpreviousstudies,whichfoundthatmostFoundationdegreestudentsaresatisfiedwiththequalityoftheircourse,andpositiveabouttheiroveralllearningexperience(FoundationDirect,2008;Greenwood&Little,2008).

Itisworthnotingthataroundoneinfour(26%)Foundationdegreestudentsdidnotfeelthattheircourseofferedgoodvalueformoney(comparedtoaround1in5oftheFuturetrackpopulationasawhole).Theconceptof‘valueformoney’requiresfurtherinvestigationbecauseitdoesnotappeartoreflecteitherthehighlevelsofstudentsatisfactionwithhighereducationingeneralorwithFoundationdegreesinparticular.Over70%ofFoundationdegreeapplicantsindicatedthattheyfelthighereducationwasa‘goodinvestment’whentheyfirstapplied,despiteknowingthattheywouldhavetoborrowalotofmoneyinordertocoverthecosts,sothisdissatisfactionwiththereturnontheirinvestmentmustbeacauseforconcern.TherearepotentiallymanyreasonswhythismightbefoundamongstFoundationdegreestudents:firstly,itmightbearesponsetotherelativeuncertaintyaboutthelongerterm(employment)outcomesthatasgraduates,studentsmightbeabletoexpect;thismighthavebeenexacerbatedbytherecession.Secondlythefeearrangementsputinplaceatthestartof2006werenewandforthose‘firstgeneration’Foundationdegreestudentsthismayhaveaddedtotheuncertaintyabouthowloanswouldberepaid in lightof lackofconfidenceaboutemploymentoutcomes.However, this issuedoesnotappeartoaffectonlyFoundationdegreestudentsandinordertomakeamoreaccurateinterpretationofthisfinding,furtherresearch(includingqualitativedatacollection)isrecommended.


23

Figure2.1To what extent did Foundation degree students agree with the following statements about their experience of the academic year 2006/7?

BeingastudentattheuniversityorcollegewhereIstudiedwasapositiveexperience

Ihadsufficientaccesstoweb-basedfacilities

Onthewhole,thetuitionandlearningsupportIreceivedonmycoursewereexcellent

Mycoursewasgoodvalueformoney

Iwasgivengoodfeedbackonmyprogress

Libraryresourceswereinadequate

TheamountofworkIhadtocompleteonmycoursewasexcessive

Theinformationandsupportavailablefornewstudentsatmyuniversity/collegewerenot

verygood

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

q Stronglyagree q 2 q 3 q 4 q 5 q 6 q Stronglydisagree

Workload

Arounda third (34%)ofFoundationdegreestudents felt that theamountofwork theyhadtocompletewasexcessive(Figure2.1),whilenearlyhalf(48%)foundthattheywererequiredtoworkharderthantheyhadexpected(Figure2.2).Thesefiguresareslightlyhigherthaninpreviousstudies,whichindicatedthatwhilemanyFoundationdegreestudentsfoundtheirstudiesmoredemandingthantheyhadanticipated,atleasthalffoundtheworkloadtobemuchastheyhadexpected(FoundationDirect,2008).

Figure2.2Did Foundation degree students find they had to work harder than they had expected?

q Foundationdegreestudents q Allfuturetrackstudents

47.5%

39.2%

11.8%

1.8%

43.7%40.3%

15.0%

1.0%

Iwasrequiredtoworkharderthan

Iexpected

TheworkloadwasmuchasIhadexpected

Iwasrequiredtoworkmuchless

thanIhadexpected

Other


24

For themajorityofFoundationdegreestudents,as formostFuturetrackstudents,all the formalcoursework tookplaceoncampus.PreviousresearchhassuggestedthatFoundationdegreestudentstypicallyundertakemorethan5hoursofindependentstudyperweek,andoftenspenduptotwoorthreedaysaweekstudyingprivately(FoundationDirect,2008;GreenwoodandLittle,2008).TheinformationgatheredbytheFuturetrackresearchteamisconsistentwiththesefindings,witharoundthree-quarters (75%)ofFoundationdegreestudents indicatingthattheyspendmorethan5hoursaweekstudying for their course outside their timetabled lessons (Figure 2.3). Nearly half (48%) reported that they undertookbetween6and15hoursofprivatestudyeveryweek,whilearoundoneineight(13%)committedtomorethan20hoursofindependentstudy.

Figure2.3How many hours a week did Foundation degree students spend in lessons and private study?

Accommodation

Futuretrackalsoexaminesstudents’experiencesofsomeofthenon-academicaspectsofhighereducation,suchastravelandaccommodation.ThissectionexploreswhereFoundationdegreestudentslivedduringtheircourseandhowfartheyhadtotraveltoattendlessonsorextra-curricularactivitiesontheiruniversityorcollegecampus.ItalsoaskswhatmodeoftransportFoundationdegreestudentstendedtousewhentheymadethisjourney.

Asacohort,mostFuturetrackstudentstendedtoliveintraditionalstudenthallsofresidenceorotheruniversity-ownedaccommodationduringtheirfirstyear,butFoundationdegreestudentsweremorelikelytoliveathomewiththeirfamilyorpartner(Figure2.4).MostoftheFoundationdegreestudentswhorespondedtotheStage2surveywereunder25yearsold,andnearlytwo-thirdswereunder20,soageisunlikelytobetheonlyfactoratplayhere.YorkeandLongden(2008)warnedthat‘commuter’students,orthosewhodonotliveinuniversityaccommodation,canfeelisolatedastheyfinditmoredifficultthanresidentstudentstodevelopnetworksofsupportwithintheinstitution.Itmightbeworthexploringthereasonsstudentsgiveforchoosingtoliveathomeinmoredetail,asitmayhaveimplicationsforthesatisfactionandevenretentionofFoundationdegreestudents.

q Hoursspentintime-tabledlessons q Hoursspentonprivatestudy

Hoursperweek

4.7%

16.7%

30.9%

26.2%

11.3%

5.5% 4.7%

25.0%

31.5%

16.4%14.0%

4.2% 4.0% 4.8%

5orless 6to10 11to15 16to20 21to25 26to30 Morethan30

25

Figure2.4Where did Foundation degree students live during the first year of their course?

Travel

Around60%ofFoundationdegreestudentslivedlessthan30minutesawayfromtheiruniversityorcollege,comparedtojustover70%oftheFuturetrackpopulationasawhole(Figure2.5).FoundationdegreestudentswerelesslikelythanotherFuturetrackstudents towalk touniversity,andnearly two-thirds (65%)travelledtouniversitybycarorpublic transport(Figure2.6).ThismayindicatethatFoundationdegreestudentslivedfurtherawayfromtheiruniversity/collegethanotherFuturetrackstudents,butwereabletocoverthedistanceinashorterperiodoftimebecausetheydroveorcaughtthebus.IntheFoundationDirectstudy,researchersestimatedthatmostFoundationdegreestudentstravelledbetween1and10miles,witharoundathirdundertakingjourneysofmorethan11miles(FoundationDirect,2008).

Figure2.5How long did it take Foundation degree students to travel from home to university/college?

Figure2.6How did Foundation degree students usually travel to university/college?

q Foundationdegreestudents q AllFuturetrackstudents

45.2%

25.0%

12.7%

6.8% 6.6%3.1%

0.6%

27.0%

45.0%

9.8%11.7%

4.0%2.0% 0.5%

Ilivedathomewithmyfamilyor

partner

Ilivedinastudenthallof

residence

Ilivedinotherrentedself-catering

accommodation

Ilivedinuniversity-owned

self-cateringaccommodation

Ilivedathomeonmyown

Ilivedinanothertypeofaccommodation

Ilivedinrentedaccommodation

wheresomemealswereprovided

23.1%20.4%

16.1%

25.3%

15.1%

34.1%

20.8%

16.0%18.6%

10.5%

Lessthan10mins. 10to20mins. 20to30mins. 30to60mins. Morethan1hour


34.2%32.1% 30.9%

2.8%

29.2%

52.1%

15.1%

3.7%

Publictransport Walk Car Cycle


26

Funding

Over50%ofFoundationdegreestudentswerefundingtheirstudiesbymeansofastatutoryfinancialsupportmaintenanceand/ortuitionloan(Figure2.7).Aroundathird(33%)usedtheirpersonalsavingstofundtheirstudies,butfewfull-timeFoundationdegreestudentsreceivedfinancialsupportfromanemployer.Thisisincontrasttopart-timeFoundationdegreestudents,whooftenreceiveacontributionfromtheiremployertowardstheirtuitionfees(Callenderet al,2010;YorkeandLongden,2010).

Studentsaged26andoverweremorelikelythanyoungerstudentstobeinreceiptofagrantfromtheirlocalauthorityorhighereducationinstitution,andlesslikelytobefundingtheirstudieswithatuitionormaintenanceloan.AswasindicatedatStage1,olderstudentswerelesslikelythanyoungerstudentstobefundingtheirstudieswithacontributionfromtheirfamilyorpartner.

Figure2.7How did Foundation degree students fund their studies?

0% 20% 40% 65% 80%

Statutoryfinancialsupportmaintenanceloan

Statutoryfinancialsupporttuitionloan

Statutoryfinancialsupportgrants

Earningsfromvacationwork

Personalsavings

Earningsfromworkduringterm

Grant/bursaryfromyouruniversity/college

Otherformsofborrowing

Non-repayablecontributionfromfamily/partner

Repayablecontributionfromfamily/partner

Other

Non-statutorygrantsfromlocalauthority

Hardshiporaccessfunds

Personaltrustfund/incomefrominvestments

Organisational/employergrant

56.4%

54.4%

48.5%

35.9%

33.4%

32.0%

27.1%

20.9%

20.0%

7.5%

4.9%

4.8%

3.4%

2.1%

1.5%

27

Accessing careers information and guidance

ThissectionexploreshowFoundationdegreestudentsaccessedcareersinformationduringtheirfirstyearofhighereducation.

Aroundoneinfour(23%)FoundationdegreestudentsattendedaCareersServiceeventwhichwasaimedatfirstyears,butonlyoneinten(11%)attendedacareerseventwhichwasaimedatthestudentswhoweredoingtheircourse(Figure2.8).Around20%obtainedcareersadvicefromfamilyorfriends,butfewmetwithaCareersServicesadviserordiscussedtheiroptionswiththeCareersServicebyemailortelephone.Aroundoneinseven(14%)visitedtheCareersServiceswebsite.Whenaskedtocommentfurther,manystudents indicatedthattheyhaddiscussedtheircareerplanswiththeirtutororcourseleader.ThisanecdotalevidenceisconsistentwiththefindingsofapreviousinvestigationintotheguidanceneedsofFoundationdegreestudents,whichfoundthataround45%ofthestudentstheyinterviewedhaddiscussedtheircareeroptionswiththeirtutors,whilearoundathirdhadusedthecareersserviceattheinstitutionatwhichtheywerestudying(JacksonandTunnah,2005).

Itisworthnotingthat41%ofFoundationdegreestudentsindicatedthattheydidnottakeadvantageofanyofthecareersinformationorguidanceopportunitiesthatwereavailabletothem.

Figure2.8What kinds of careers information did Foundation degree students access?

0% 10% 20% 30%

CareerseventorganisedbytheCareersServiceforthefirstyearstudents

Obtainedcareersadvicefromfamilyorfriends

VisitedCareersServicewebsite

Careerseventforstudentsdoingyourtypeofcourse

Obtainedcareersadvicefromanemployerorworkrepresentative

Completedcompulsorymoduletodevelopemployment-relatedskills

One-to-onecareersadvicesessionofferedbyCareersServicestaff

TalkedtoCareersServiceconsultantaboutcourseorcareeroptions

OthercareerseventofferedbyCareersServicestaff

Completedoptionsmoduletodevelopemploymentrelatedskills

ObtainedCareersServiceguidanceorinformationbyemailortelephone

CareersServiceshortcoursesorsessionstodevelopemployment-relatedskills

22.8%

21.9%

14.4%

11.4%

11.3%

9.9%

7.8%

7.4%

4.1%

3.2%

2.9%

1.6%


28

Accessing the Careers Service

MostFoundationdegreestudents(70%)didnotvisittheCareersServiceintheirfirstyear(figure2.9).Ofthosestudentswhodid,themajorityonlyvisiteditonceortwice.FoundationdegreestudentsweremorelikelythanotherstudentstoindicatethattheywereunawareoftheirCareersService(28%ofFoundationdegreestudentswereunawareoftheservicecomparedtoonly18%oftheFuturetrackpopulationasawhole).StudentswouldnothaveaccessedtheCareersServiceiftheywereunawareoftheservice,buttheymightalsohavethoughttheywerestilltooearlyintheiruniversitytoneedcareersadviceatall. Itmaybeuseful todeterminewhetherornot this is really thecase,asBlasko (2002)suggests thatstudentswhoengagewithcareerplanningearlierintheiruniversitycareersaremorelikelytoachievesuccessinthelabourmarketwhentheygraduate.

Figure2.9 How many times did Foundation degree students visit their Careers Service in their first year?

Future Career Plans

One year into their course Futuretrack students were asked what they were planning to do after they completed theirdegree,andwhethertheywereconsideringanyfurtherstudy.

Around30%ofFoundationdegreestudentsstatedthattheywerenotconsideringanyfurtherstudyanddidnotplantotakeagapyear,soitisassumedthatthesestudentswerehopingtogostraightintoemploymentassoonastheyfinishedtheircourse(Figure2.10).Foundationdegreestudentswerelesslikelythanotherstudentstobeplanningtotakeagapyeartotravelaftertheycompletedtheirdegree(17%comparedto23%).However,manywereconsideringfurtherstudyofsomekind,mostcommonlyataughtMastersdegreecourseorothertrainingcourse(asopposedtoaresearchdegreeorprofessionalqualification).ThisisagainconsistentwiththefindingsofJacksonandTunnah’s2005surveyforAGCAS,whichreportedthatover80%ofthestudentsinterviewedsaidthattheywantedtocarryonstudyingaftertheyhadcompletedtheirFoundationdegree.

19.6%

7.2%

3.7%

41.6%

27.9%

q 1to2times q 3to4times q 5ormoretimes q Iwasawareofthisservice,butdidnotvisitit q Iwasawareofthisservice

29

Figure2.10What were Stage 2 Futuretrack Foundation degree students planning to do at the end of their course?

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

Noneofthese

EnrolonataughtMasterdegreepostgraduatecourse

Completeothereducation/trainingcourse

Takeagapyeartotravel

Studyforanotherprofessionalqualification

EnrolonaPGCE

Applytodoaresearchdegree

ApplyforapostgraduatecourseoutsideUK


Clarity of Career Plans

Twenty six per cent of Foundation degree students felt that their experience in higher education had reinforced theiroriginalcareerplans,whilearoundathird(30%)feltthattheymuchclearer ideaabouttheircareerplansafterayear inhighereducationthantheyhaddonewhentheyfirstapplied.Only6%indicatedthattheir ideasabouttheircareerhadchangedcompletely,and29%feltthattheirideaswerenomoreorlessclearthantheyhadbeenbefore.

AsatStage1,studentswhorespondedtotheStage2questionnairewereaskedtoratethemselvesonascaleof1-7where1 indicatedthat‘intermsof long-termcareerplanningIhaveaclear ideaaboutwhatIwanttodo’and7indicatedthattheyhad‘noideawhatIwanttodo’(Figure2.11).Whentheyfirstappliedtohighereducationaroundthree-quartersofFoundationdegreestudentsfeltthattheyhadsomeideaabouttheoccupationtheywantedtoenteroncetheycompletedtheirdegree(Figure1.6).Oneyearon,theproportionofFoundationdegreestudentswhohadaclearideaabouttheirfutureoccupationwasstillaround70%,butonly20%consideredthemselvestohavea‘clear’ideaabouttheirfuture(comparedto31%atStage1).


30

Figure2.11One year into their course, did Foundation degree students have a clear idea as to what they wanted to do after they finished their course?

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

Foundation degree students All Futuretrack students

r 7(Noidea)r 6r 5r 4r 3r 2r 1(Clearidea)

31

StudentExperienceofHigherEducation:Keyfindings

• Oneyearintotheirstudies,Foundationdegreestudentswerepositiveabouttheirexperienceofhighereducation,andfeltthetuitionandlearningsupporttheyhadreceivedwasexcellent.Despitethis,only53%felttheircoursewasgoodvalueformoney.

• Most Futuretrack students tended to live in traditional student halls of residence or other university-ownedaccommodationduringtheirfirstyear,butFoundationdegreestudentsweremore likely to liveathomewiththeirfamilyorpartner.

• Foundation degree students were less likely than other Futuretrack students to walk to university, and nearly two-thirdstravelledtouniversitybycarorpublictransport.ThismayindicatethatFoundationdegreestudentslivedfurtherawayfromtheiruniversity/collegethanotherstudents,butwereabletocoverthedistanceinashorterperiodoftimebecausetheydroveorcaughtthebus.

• MostFoundationdegreestudentsdidnotvisittheCareersServiceintheirfirstyear.Ofthosewhodid,themajorityonlyvisiteditonceortwice.

• Whenaskedabouttheirplansforthefuture,aroundaquarterindicatedthattheirexperienceinhighereducationhadreinforcedtheiroriginalcareerplans,whilearoundathirdfeltthattheyhadamuchclearerideanowthantheyhadwhentheyfirstapplied.

32


ReflectingonHigherEducation

Thissectionrefersto237Foundationdegreestudentswhostartedtheirdegreein2006andwerecomingtowardstheendoftheirtimeinhighereducation.In2009studentswereaskedtoreflectontheirtimeinhighereducationandconsiderwhethertheywouldstillchoosetostudythesamecourseagain.Theywerealsoaskedtooutlinetheirfutureplanswithregardtofurtherstudyandemployment,andtoevaluatethecareersinformationtheyhadusedwhenmakingtheircareerplans.

If students were given their time in higher education again, would they still choose to study the same course?

Attheendoftheirhighereducationexperience,moststudentswerestillhappywiththeirchoiceofcourse,witharoundtwo-thirdsofFoundationdegreestudents(and69%ofallFuturetrackstudents)indicatingthattheywouldstillchoosetodothesamecourseiftheyweregiventheirtimeagain(Figure3.1).

Figure3.1If Foundation degree students were starting again, would they still choose to do they same course?

q Yes,definitely q Yes,probably q Wouldchooseasimilarcourse,butnotthisone q Wouldchoosesomethingcompletelydifferent q Don’tknow

36.5%

29.5%

20.0%

7.7%

6.2%


33

Foundationdegreestudentswhoindicatedthattheywouldchoosetodoadifferentcourseinasimilarareaoftenfeltthatthecoursetheyhadchosenhadnotliveduptotheirexpectationswithregardtocontentordelivery.

‘[I] would choose a similar course, but not this one. The modules in the first year were not very strong.’

‘[I] would choose a similar course, but not this one. I feel my course doesn’t provide enough face-to-face learning.’

‘[I] should have done a specific physical geography degree rather than combining all aspects of geography.’

Someindicatedthat,withthebenefitofhindsight,theywouldprobablyhavechosentodosomethingcompletelydifferentbecausethedegreetheyhadcompletedhadnotprovidedthemwiththeexperienceorknowledgetheywerelookingfor.

‘’[I would choose] something to do with analysing media and advertising. It interests me, and would allow me to use my written and presentation skills. The problem with my course (applied computing) is that it is far too difficult for me, and was very different from ICT (which I excelled in at AVCE level). Right now I just want to get out alive, find a job and get some stability.’

Otherswouldhavechosenacoursewhichwouldmakethemmoreemployable.

‘I would choose a more computer-orientated course as there would be more chance of gaining employment at the end.’

‘[I would choose to study] catering – realised I have skills in this area, and more likely to find work.’

‘[I] would choose something more academic and useful as a career.’

Nevertheless,mostFoundationdegreestudentsweresatisfiedwiththeirexperience,andwouldstillapplytodothesamecourseagain.

Future Plans

AsatStages1and2,studentswhorespondedtotheStage3questionnairewereaskedtoratethemselvesonascaleof1-7where1indicatedthat‘intermsoflong-termcareerplanningIhaveaclearideaaboutwhatIwanttodo’and7indicatedthattheyhad‘noideawhatIwanttodo’(Figure3.2).

Atallthreestagesaround70-75%ofFoundationdegreestudents(and70%ofallFuturetrackstudents)placedthemselvesbetween1and3onthescale,whichsuggeststhatmosthadsomeideaastowhattheywouldliketodonextthroughoutthedurationof theircourse (Figure3.2).However,as theyapproachedtheendof theiruniversitycareer,onlyaroundaquarterofFoundationdegreestudents felt that theyhadaclear ideaas towhat theywantedtodonext,comparedtoover30%atStage1.Whenstudentswerethenaskediftheircareerplanshadchangedsincetheendoftheirfirstyearinhighereducation,over35%felttheyhada‘muchcleareridea’astowhattheywantedtodointhefuture.Fourteenpercentindicatedthattheirexperienceofhighereducationhadreinforcedtheiroriginalcareerplans,and18%feltthattheirideasabouttheircareerwere‘lessclearthanbefore’.Thesefindingsillustratethecomplexityofcareerdecisionmaking,anditwouldbeinterestingtoexplorethisissuefurtherinordertoexamineinmoredetailhowtheexperienceofhighereducationinfluencesstudents’professionalambitionsandcareerchoices.WhilethefiguressuggestacertainlevelofconsistencyintheproportionofFoundationdegreestudentswhohaveclearideaabouttheirfutureplans,theydonotindicatewhethertheplansthemselveshavechangedasaresultofstudents’experienceinhighereducation.


34

Figure3.2Did Foundation degree students have a clear idea as to what they wanted to do next?

What did students plan to do after they graduated?

MostFoundationdegreestudentsplannedtofindajobaftertheygraduated;with45%indicatingthattheyhopedtoobtainemployment related to their longer-term career plans (Figure 3.3). Seventeen per cent sought temporary employment,while5%wereplanningtobecomeself-employed.SixtypercentofFoundationdegreestudents(and59%ofallFuturetrackstudents)wereconfidentthattheywouldachievetheirchosenobjectiveintheyearafterthegraduated.Thisisperhapssurprisingly positive given the economic situation in 2009, but follow-up focus groups suggest that this optimism wastemperedbyrealism,andmoststudentsacknowledgedthatitwasmoredifficultforthemtofindsuitableemploymentthanithadbeenforpreviouscohorts(Atfieldet al,2010).

Figure3.3What did final year students plan to do after they graduated?

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Otheremploymentrelatedtolonger-termcareerplans

Temporaryemploymentwhileconsideringlonger-termplans

Travelortaketimeout

Full-timepostgraduatedegreecourse

Other

Becomeself-employed

Temporaryemploymentwhilepayingoffdebt

Don’tknow

Undertakevocationaltraining


40%

30%

20%

10%

0%

1(Clearidea) 2(Clearidea) 3(Clearidea) 4(Clearidea) 5(Clearidea) 6(Clearidea) 7(Noidea)

r Stage1 r Stage2r Stage3

35

Further study

ThirtyonepercentofFoundationdegreestudents(and34%ofallFuturetrackstudents)plannedtogoontosomekindoffurtherstudy,with21%applyingforafull-timecourseand9%applyingforapart-timecourse.Aroundoneinten(11%)Foundationdegreestudentsplannedtosecureajobwhichincludedsomekindofprofessionaltraining.Ofthosestudentswhohopedtogoontofurtherstudy,aroundathird(33%)plannedtodoapostgraduateteachingcertificate,andaroundaquarter(26%)plannedtostudyforataughtMastersdegree(Figure3.4).FoundationdegreestudentsweremuchlesslikelythanotherstudentstobeplanningtogoontostudyforataughtMastersdegreeatthisstage.Thismaybebecausetheywouldneedtocompletetheirundergraduatestudiesfirst,but itcould justbethatFoundationdegreestudentsarenotinterestedinstudyingaMastersdegreecourseingeneral.

Figure3.4What kinds of further study did students plan to go onto?

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

PostgraduateTeachingCertificate

TaughtMastersdegree

OtherPostgraduatediploma

Trainingforaprofessionalqualificationordiploma

Other

PhDorotherresearchdegree


AsatStage1,moststudentsbelievedthatholdinganotherqualificationwouldimprovetheiremploymentprospects,withnearlytwo-thirds(64%)reportingthattheywereconsideringfurtherstudybecausetheythoughtitwouldenablethemtoaccessbettercareeropportunities(figure3.5).AlthoughFoundationdegreestudentswerelesslikelythanotherstudentstobelievethatfurtherstudywasessentialfortheirfuturecareer,whichmaybeduetothemorevocationalnatureofthecoursetheystudiedfortheirfirstdegree.Over40%wereinterestedinthecourseinitsownright,andoverathird(34%)wantedtostudytheirsubjecttoahigherlevel.Itwouldbeinterestingtoinvestigatethisfurtherinordertoexploretheextenttowhichthisinterestinstudyingasubjectinitsownrightisaconsequenceofthestudent’sexperienceofhighereducationmoregenerally.

Most Foundation degree students (76%) planned to fund their further study by taking out a loan with Student LoanCompanyLimited.Aroundathird(29%)anticipatedsecuringapostgraduateawardorbursary,37%plannedtodrawontheirprivate funds,and7%hopedtotakeoutaCareerDevelopmentLoan.Fiftypercentplannedto fundtheirstudiesthroughpaidwork.


36

Employment

AtthetimeoftheStage3survey(2009)42%ofFoundationdegreestudents(and51%ofallFuturetrackstudents)hadstartedsearchingforjobsandinternships(thisdidnotincludestudentswhoweresearchingforshort-term,vacationemployment).Ofthosewhohadstartedlookingforjobs,54%hadappliedforajobrelatedtotheirlonger-termcareerplans,and15%hadappliedforjobsthatwerenotrelatedtotheirlonger-termcareerplans.Ofthosestudentswhohadstartedlookingforjobs,29%hadacceptedajobrelatedtotheirlonger-termcareerplans.Aroundathird(34%)hadbeenoffered(andwereplanningtoaccept)ajobthatnotwasrelatedtotheirlonger-termcareerplans.However,inthemediumtolongterm,mostFoundationdegreestudents(78%)intendedtosecureajobthatwasrelatedtotheircourse.

Around1in8(13%)Foundationdegreestudentshadappliedforunpaidworkinordertogainexperienceintheirchosenprofession, and just over a quarter (27%) had considered applying for an unpaid role in the future. Over a third (35%)saidthattheywouldliketoapplyforunpaidrolesbutcouldnotaffordtodoso,while21%indicatedtheywerenotatallinterestedinsecuringanunpaidjob.ThissuggeststhatmostFoundationdegreestudentsrecognisethevalueofgainingworkexperiencethroughunpaidwork,butthatmanysimplycannotaffordtoworkwithoutpay,particularlywhentheymayalreadyhaveincurreddebtswhilestudying.

Figure3.5What prompted students to go on to further study?

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Accesstobettercareeropportunities

Developmorespecialistknowledgeandexpertise

Interestedinthecourse(s)

Developbroaderrangeofknowledgeandexpertise

Essentialforfuturecareer

Tocontinuestudyingsubject(s)toahigherlevel

Todefergettingajob

Tochangedirection

Other


37

When Foundation degree students were searching for jobs they most commonly referred to prospective employers’websites(64%),thelocalpress(59%),andpublicationsandwebsitesthatwerededicatedtoadvertisinggraduatevacancies(57%) (figure3.6).Themostusefulvacancysourceswereprospectiveemployers’websites (63%),other internetvacancysites(48%),graduatevacancypublicationsandwebsites(47%),andindependentemploymentagenciesandtheirwebsites(47%).Onlyaroundathird (34%)thoughtthat theiruniversitycareersservicewasausefulsourceof jobvacancies,andhalf(50%)hadnotsearchedforjobsthroughtheserviceatall.FoundationdegreestudentswereslightlymorelikelythanotherstudentstohavesearchedforjobsinaJobCentre,andlesslikelytohavereferredtograduatevacancypublicationsorwebsites.

Figure3.6 Where did Foundation degree students look for jobs, and how useful did they find these sources?

Prospectiveemployers’websites

Independentemploymentagenciesandtheirwebsites

Friendsandfamily

Speculativeapproachtocompanies

Specialisttradeorprofessionalpublications

Graduatevacancypublications/websites

Otherinternetvacancysites

Localpress

University/college-basedCareersServiceortheirwebsite

NationalPress

JobCentre

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

q Veryuseful q Quiteuseful q Notveryuseful q Notusefulatall q Havenotused


38

Opportunitiesforpromotion

Flexibilityforwork-lifebalance

Opportunitiesforfurthertraining

Long-termsecurity

Competitivesalary

Sociallyusefulwork

Ethicalorganisation

Opportunitiesforinternationalcareer

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

MoststudentswerelookingforworkintheSouthofEngland,althoughFoundationdegreestudentswerelesslikelythanotherstudentstobelookingforjobsinLondon(figure3.8).Quiteafewstudentswereinterestedinworkingabroad,witharound16%indicatingthattheywouldliketoworkinanotherEUcountry,while1in5(19%)Foundationdegreestudents(and22%ofallFuturetrackstudents)wouldliketoworkoverseas.

q 1(Veryimportant) q 2 q 3 q 4 q 5 q 6 q 7(Unimportant)

When asked what they were looking for in a job, the top four attributes cited by Foundation degree students were3:flexibilityforwork-lifebalance(89%);long-termsecurity(87%);opportunitiesforpromotion(86%);andopportunitiesforfurthertraining(85%)(figure3.7).Nearly40%feltthatitwasveryimportantthattheirjobgavethemofopportunitiesforpromotion,butonlyaroundaquarter(28%)feltasstronglyabouttheneedforacompetitivesalary.Lessthanhalfwerelookingforopportunitiestoworkinternationally,witharound42%indicatingthatthiswasnotatallimportanttothem.

Figure3.7 What did Foundation degree students look for in a job?

3 Percentageoffoundationdegreestudentswhogavethisattributearatingof1,2,or3ona7pointscalewhere1=‘veryimportant’and7=‘unimportant’.

39

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

London

SouthWestEngland

SouthEastEngland

Otheroverseaslocations

WestMidlands

NorthWestofEngland

EastMidlands

OtherEUcountries

YorkshireandHumberside

NorthEastofEngland

Wales

EastofEngland

Scotland

Merseyside

NorthernIreland


Figure3.8Where did students want to work?

Sixty-onepercentofFoundationdegreestudents(and67%ofallFuturetrackstudents)indicatedthattheywouldprefertoworkintheirhomeregion,whilearoundhalf(52%)werehopingtosecureajobintheareatheywerestudyingin(Figure3.9).Foundationdegreestudentsweremorelikelythanotherstudentstoindicatethattheyneededtoconsidertheneedsof their family when looking for work (36% compared to 28%). Only around a quarter had based their decision on theemploymentopportunitiesavailableforpeoplewiththeirqualifications(27%)orthedesiretosecureaspecificemploymentopportunityinthatarea(23%).Itisinterestingtonotethat,evenduringarecession,studentswerestillmorelikelytousepersonalratherthanoccupationalcriteriatodeterminewheretheywouldliketowork.Itwouldbeusefultoexplorethisdecision-makinginmoredetail,ascareersadvisersoftenstresshowimportantitisforstudentstobemobileiftheyaretosecuretheiridealrole,particularlywhencompetitionforjobsisfierce(JensenandHiggins,2009).


40

However,inthelongtermmoststudentsindicatedthattheywouldbewillingtoconsidermovingacertaindistanceforwork.Overathird(36%)werepreparedtoworkabroadoranywhereintheUK,andaquarter(25%)wouldconsidermovingwithintheirregion(Figure3.10).

Figure3.9What reasons did students give for their preferred location?

0% 20% 40% 60% 80%

Icomefromthere

Areawherecurrentlystudying

Needtoconsidertheneedsoffamilymembers

Employmentopportunitiesforpeoplewithmyqualificationsaregoodthere

Otherpersonalreasonsforwantingtolivethere

Specificemploymentopportunities

Willbeabletolovewithparents

Costoflivingisaffordablethere

Other


Figure3.10Where do students expect to work in the medium-long term?

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

International(UKandworkinortraveltocountriesoutsidetheUK

Regional(mightmovewithinregionstartedin)

Local(noplantomoveforcareer)

National(donotexpecttomovecountrieswithintheUK)

UK-based(donotexpecttoworkoutsidetheUK)

Other


41

Figure3.11How much to students expect to earn when they start work?

Astheyapproachedtheendoftheircourse,Futuretrackstudentswereaskedwhatkindsofskillstheythoughtgraduateemployerswere lookingfor (Figure3.12).WhenFoundationdegreestudentswere invitedtopicktheirtopthreefromalistoftwentyoneattributes,themostfrequentlycitedchoiceswere:agoodworkethic(40%),ability/competence(24%),andexperience(21%).Interestingly,whenthechoicesoftherestoftheFuturetrackpopulationareincludedthetopthreebecome:agoodworkethic (33%),communicationskills (28%),andteamwork(24%).Greenbank(2009)pointsoutthat‘Foundationdegreestendtobemorevocationallyorientatedthanhonoursdegrees’,soitmaybethatFoundationdegreestudents’understandingofemployerneedsisinfluencedbythestructureandcontentoftheircourseswhichareunderstoodtoexemplifyan‘employer-ledcurriculum’.InFuturetrackitwouldappearthatFoundationdegreestudentsaremorelikelytohavea‘task-orientated’viewofworkinglife,whileotherstudentsaremorelikelytothinkthatemployerswillvalueskillswhichaidthe‘process’ofworkinglife.Thisisanextremelyunder-researchedarea,andonewhichwouldbenefitfromfurtherinvestigation.

40%

50%

30%

20%

10%

0%

Around half of Foundation degree students (49%) expected to earn in the region of £15,000 - £20,000 when they firststartedwork(figure3.11).ThisisconsistentwithfindingsfortheFuturetrackpopulationasawhole,althoughFoundationdegreestudentsweremorelikelythanotherstudentstothinkthattheywouldearnlessthan£15,000intheirfirstrole,andlesslikelytothinkthattheywouldearnmorethan£20,000.


Lessthan£10,000 £10,000to£15,000

£15,001to£20,000 £20,001to£25,000

£25,001to£30,000

Morethan£30,001


42

Figure3.12What skills did students think graduate recruiters were looking for? (respondents were invited to identify their top three)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

Goodworkethic

Ability/Competence

Experience

Communicationskills

Knowledge

Self-motivation

Teamwork

Organisationalskills

Interpersonalskills

Qualifications

Flexibility

Self-confidence

Capacitytoworkautonomously

Otherskills

Abilitytolearn

Creativity

Analyticalskills

Computerliteracy

Leadershipskills

Commercialawareness

Numeracy


43

Careers guidance

AtStage3,Foundationdegreestudentswhowereapproachingtheendoftheircoursewereaskediftheyhadtakenadvantageofanycareersadviceorguidanceopportunitiesduringtheirfinalyear(figure3.13).Thethreemostpopularsourcesofcareerinformationwere:careerswebsitessuchaswww.prospects.ac.uk(32%),adviceonCVwriting(31%),andCareersServiceswebsites(28%).Inmostcases,Foundationdegreestudentsappeartohavebeenlesslikelythanotherstudentstoaccesstheservicesprovidedbytheirinstitution’sCareersService,particularlyone-to-oneadvicesessionsandcareersevents.Similarly,only28%ofFoundationdegreestudentsindicatedthattheyhadaccessedtheirCareersService’swebsitecomparedtoover40%oftheFuturetrackpopulationasawhole.Twenty-sixpercentofFoundationdegreestudentshadnotaccessedanyoftheinformationsuggestedbyresearchers.Thismaybebecausetheyareaccessingcareersinformationbyothermeans,buttheirdisinclinationtovisittheCareersServiceinpersoncouldalsobeduetothepracticaldifficultiesoflivingawayfromcampusandhavingtotravelinwhenevertheywanttoaccesstheseservices.

Figure3.13Since the end of their first year, have students taken advantage of any of the following sources of career advice and guidance?

0% 20% 40% 60%

Visitedothercareerswebsites,e.g.Prospects

AdviceonCVwriting

VisitedCareersServicewebsite

Compulsorymoduletodevelopemployment-relatedskills

Careerseventforstudentsdoingsametypeofcourse

Adviceoncompletingapplicationforms

Interviewtechniquetraining

One-to-oneCareersServiceadvicesession

University-widecareerseventforfinalyearstudents

TalkedtoCareersServiceadvisoraboutcourseorcareer

Careersinformationfromemployerorworkorganisationrep.

Careerseventforparticularoccupationorindustry

CareersServiceinformationoradvicebyemailortelephone

Other

OtherCareersServiceevent

Optionalmoduletodevelopemployment-relatedskills

CareersServicesessionstodevelopemployment-relatedskills



44

Nearly60%ofFoundationdegreestudentsindicatedthattheyhadnotusedtheiruniversitycareersserviceatall,butnearly80% had discussed their options with teaching staff in their department and nearly three-quarters sought advice fromfamilyandfriends(figure3.14).However,oneFoundationdegreestudentsuggestedthatstudentswerenotbeingmadeawarethattheseservicesareavailabletothem,andthefindingssuggestthatalthoughFoundationdegreestudentsarejustaslikelyasotherstudentstoseekadvicefromtutorsandfriends,theyaremuchlesslikelytovisittheiruniversitycareersservice.

Figure3.14Which other sources of careers information did Foundation degree students use, and how helpful did they find them?

Studentswhohadnotvisitedtheiruniversity’scareersservicewereinvitedtoexplainwhytheyhaddecidednottousethisservice.Only5%saidthattheirinstitutiondidnothaveacareersservice(figure3.15).Twenty-sevenpercentfeltthattheyalreadyknewwhattheywantedtodointhefuture,andsodidnotneedtovisitthecareersservice,whilearoundaquarterindicatedthattheywerenotplanningtothinkabouttheirnextstepuntiltheyhadfinishedtheircourse.Twenty-sixpercentdidnotthinkthatthecareersserviceofferedthekindofinformationtheywerelookingfor,and17%didnotknowwhatinformationoradvicethecareersservicecouldgiveingeneral.OneFoundationdegreestudentfeltthattheircareersservicefocusedontheneedsofstudentswhowantedtopursueamore‘traditional’careerpath,

‘The careers service has not got expertise in the field I wish to go into. They seem to focus on ‘main stream’ career paths (business, IT, public service, admin, retail, therapy etc) and have little knowledge of requirements for environmental science-based careers.’

In2009,focusgroupswithfinalyearstudentsrevealedthatsomestudentswerescepticalaboutthevalueofthecareersserviceuntil theyactuallyvisited it (Atfieldet al,2010). ItmaybethatFoundationdegreestudentsareequallyscepticalaboutthecareersguidanceofferedbytheseservicesbecausetheyarenotfollowinga‘traditional’undergraduatecourse.Consequentlyitmightbeusefultoconsiderhowcareersservicescouldbetterpublicisetheirexpertiseinhelpingstudentswho are planning to pursue a career in a less traditional occupation, or those who are studying courses which alreadyincorporateanelementofwork-basedlearning.

Teachingstaffindepartment

Familyorfriends

Professionalbodies

UniversityCareersAdvisoryService

Privatecareersadvice/employmentagency

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

q Veryhelpful q Quitehelpful q Notveryhelpful q Havenotused

45

Figure3.15Why don’t Foundation degree students use their university’s careers service?

0% 10% 20% 30%

Alreadyknowwhatwilldointhefutureandhowtodoit

DonotthinkCareersServiceoffersthekindofinformationoradviceIrequire

Postponemakingcareerplansuntilfinishedexamsandcoursework

Notreadytomakecareerplansyet

Notgotroundtoityet,butplantodoso

DonotknowwhatinformationoradviceCareersServicecouldgive

Other

University/collegehasnoCareersService

27.1%

26.3%

24.2%

17.5%

17.1%

16.7%

8.2%

5.3%

Reflections on higher education

Overall, most Foundation degree students enjoyed their experience in higher education and were positive about theirfuture(Figure3.16).Theydescribedbeingastudentasfun(65%),buthardwork(78%),andfeltthattheexperienceofbeingastudenthadenhancedtheirsocialandintellectualcapabilitiesmorebroadly(76%).AtStage1over90%ofapplicantsagreed that higher education is valuable in its own right, and 94% felt that being a student offered opportunities forpersonalgrowth,soitappearsthatmoststudentsfelttheirexperiencemettheseexpectations.Overthree-quarters(80%)believedthatthesubjecttheyhadstudiedwouldgivethemanadvantagewhenlookingforwork,althoughonly54%feltthesameabouttheinstitutionatwhichtheyhadstudied.Mostfeltthattheexperienceofbeingastudent(67%)andtheskillstheyhaddevelopedontheircourse(77%)hadmadethemmoreemployable.Lessthanhalf(42%)thoughtitwouldbeeasytosecuretheiridealjobwhentheygraduated,and76%believedthatitwasmoredifficultforgraduatestofindsuitableemploymentin2009thanithadbeeninthepast.However,studentswereoptimisticabouttheirlong-termcareerprospects(66%),and80%wereconfidentthattheyhadtheskillsemployerslookedfortheywerelookingtofillthekindsofrolesinwhichstudentswereinterested.

DespitethefactthathighereducationmettheobjectivesapplicantsidentifiedatStage1,only38%ofFoundationdegreestudents thought their course was good value for money.The issue of‘value for money’ needs to be explored in moredetail, but the comments made by the Foundation degree students who participated in Futuretrack suggest that thisdissatisfactionwascloselylinkedtotheirworriesabouttuitionfeesandstudentdebt.

‘I have really enjoyed by experience at my university, and feel some members of staff are very valuable to the teaching team. However…I would have to say I wouldn’t recommend the university as the course is overpriced which is a shame!’


46

However,asalearningexperience,Foundationdegreestudentsthoughthighereducationwasexcellentpreparationforbothlifeandwork.

‘The time I spent at university has opened by eyes to opportunities that I have not been aware of previously. I have realised that there are subject areas that we sometimes make ourselves think are hard but are in fact interesting once you get involved in them. I have met people from every corner of the world, which had broadened by ideas and my views on some countries, as well as learning about a variety of different cultures.’

‘Although I’m not sure what career I want to do into, the experience of being a full-time student has broadened my views of the world and given me a better outlook on how I will achieve my short-term goals.’

Figure3.16What did Foundation degree students think about their overall experience of higher education?

Itismoredifficultnowforgraduatestofindsuitableemploymentthanitwasinthepast

Beingafull-timestudentishardwork

ThesubjectIhavestudiedisanadvantageinlookingforemployment

TheskillsIhavedevelopedonmycoursehavemadememoreemployable

Theexperienceofbeingastudenthasenhancedmysocialandintellectualcapabilitiesmorebroadly

Beingafull-timestudentisfun

IhavetheskillsemployersarelikelytobelookingforwhenrecruitingforthekindofjobsIwanttoapplyfor

Theexperienceofbeingastudenthasmadememoreemployable

Iamoptimisticaboutmylong-termcareerprospects

TheuniversityIattendedisanadvantageinlookingforemployment

Mycourseisgoodvalueformoney

ItwillbeeasyformetogetthekindofjobIwantwhenIgraduate

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

q 1(Stronglyagree) q 2 q 3 q 4 q 5 q 6 q 7(Stronglydisagree)

47

ReflectionsonHigherEducation:Keyfindings

• Attheendoftheirhighereducationexperience,mostFoundationdegreestudentswerestillhappywiththeircourse,andtwo-thirdsindicatedthattheywouldstillchoosetodothesameoneiftheyweregiventheirtimeagain.

• Most Foundation degree students planned to find a job after they graduated, and nearly half hoped to obtainemploymentrelatedtotheirlong-termcareerplans.

• AroundoneinthreeFoundationdegreestudentsplannedtogoontosomekindoffurtherstudy.Mostbelievedanadditionalqualificationwouldfurtherimprovetheiremploymentprospects,butaroundathirdwantedtostudytheirsubjecttoahigherleveland40%wereinterestedinthecourseinitsownright.

• StudentswhoplannedtocontinuetheireducationexpectedtofundtheirstudiesbytakingoutanotherloanwiththeStudentLoanCompany.

• Foundationdegreestudentswhoweresearchingforjobscommonlyreferredtoprospectiveemployers’websites,thelocalpress,andpublicationsandwebsitesdedicatedtograduatevacancies.OnlyhalfhadusedtheiruniversityCareersService.

• AroundhalfofFoundationdegreestudentsexpectedtoearnintheregionof£15,000-£20,000ayearwhentheyfirststartedwork.ThisisconsistentwithfindingsfortheFuturetrackpopulationasawhole,althoughFoundationdegreestudentsweremorelikelythanotherstudentstothinkthattheywouldearnlessthan£15,000intheirfirstrole,andlesslikelytobelievetheywouldearnmorethan£20,000.

• MostFoundationdegreestudentsturnedtotutorsandfamilyforcareersadvice,withlessthanhalfseekingguidancefromtheCareersService.WhenaskedwhytheyhadnotvisitedtheCareersService,aroundaquartersaidthattheydidnotthinktheCareersServiceofferedthekindofinformationtheywerelookingfor,andnearly1in5didnotknowwhatkindofinformationtheserviceprovidedingeneral.

• Wheninvitedtoreflectontheirexperienceofhighereducation,Foundationdegreestudentsdescribeditasfun,buthardwork.Theyfelttheskillstheyhaddevelopedhadmadethemmoreemployable,andwereoptimisticabouttheirlong-termcareerprospects.However,despitetheirpositiveexperience,only38%thoughttheircoursewasgoodvalueformoney.

48

KeyIssues

1. Pre-HE advice and guidance

TheFuturetrackstudyisdesignedtoproviderobustandcomprehensiveevidencetoclarifythesocio-economicandeducational factors thatdeterminecareerchoicesandoutcomes. In this reportwehaveconsideredwhyapplicantsdecidetoapplytoFoundationdegreecoursesandindoingsohaveilluminatedsomeoftheinformationtheirchoicesarebasedon.Purcellet al (2008)havealreadyidentifiedtheneedforbetterpre-highereducationcareersguidance,butthereareanumberofareaswhichareofparticularsignificancetothosewithaninterestinmeetingtheneedsofnon-traditionaluniversityapplicants.Firstly,thereisaneedforbetterinformationaboutthecareerimplicationsofstudents’post-16subjectchoices.Foundationdegreeapplicantsweremore likelythanstudentsapplyingtoothercoursestohavereceivedno informationaboutthe implicationsof thesechoicesatall,andover50%felt that the informationtheydidreceivewasinadequate.Secondly,thereisaneedtoensurethatapplicantsaregiventhehelptheyneedtoevaluatetheexistinginformationthemselves.WhilemostFoundationdegreeapplicantsfelttheyweregivenenoughinformationabouttherangeofhighereducationcoursesavailabletothem,nearlyathirdwouldhavelikedmorehelpinchoosingwhichcoursetostudy.Thissuggeststhatthereisaneedformorepersonalisedcareersadvicethatisnotbeingmetby in-schoolcareersguidance,and itcannotbemetbyteachersandlecturersalone.Finally,Foundationdegreestudentsappeartobelessinclinedthanotherstudentstoconsidertheimplicationsofattendingaparticularinstitution.Thisisimportantbecausepreviousresearchhasindicatedthattheinstitutionastudentattends(alongwithsubjecttheystudy)playsafundamentalroleindeterminingtheirlateremploymentsuccess(Blasko,2002).Itwouldbeinterestingtoexplorethepre-highereducationadvisory-processinmoredetail,toexamineif,andwhen,teachersandothercareersadvisersraisethesekindsofissues,andhowtheyadvisestudentstoapproachthem.

2. Careers guidance while at university

ThroughouttheirstudiesFoundationdegreestudentscontinuetoturntotutorsandcourseleadersforcareersadvice,butappearreluctanttousetheiruniversitycareersservice.Atfieldet al(2010)havesuggestedthatstudentsareoftenscepticalaboutthevalueofuniversitycareersservices,whichmayexplainwhyFoundationdegreestudentscontinueto rely on the information they can get elsewhere. It would be interesting to explore how students’ experience ofprofessionalcareersguidancepre-highereducationinformstheirviewofcareersprofessionalslaterintheiruniversitycareer,asitmaybethatimprovingtheformercouldpromptmorestudentstotakeadvantageofthelatter.


49

3. Value for money

Attheyendoftheircourse,Foundationdegreestudentsdescribedbeingastudentasfun,buthardwork.Theyfeltthattheexperienceofbeingastudenthadmadethemmoreemployable,andmostwereoptimisticabouttheirlong-termcareerprospects.However,despitedescribinghighereducationasa‘goodinvestment’whentheyfirstapplied,onlyaround40%ofFoundationdegreestudentsfelt thattheircoursewas‘goodvalueformoney’.OneparticularaspectofthisforFoundationdegreestudentsmaybeaconsequenceofthestructureofthedegreewhichenablessometochoosetoqualifyaftertwoyearsandenterthelabourmarketwhilstotherscontinueto‘topup’theFoundationdegreetohonoursbytakingupfurtherstudy. Thustheprogressiontocompletion forFoundationdegreeholders ismorecomplexthanfor(forexample)bachelorsdegreeholders;thisparticularcontextmayaffecttheperceptionofvalue.Nonethelessthisfindingisparticularlytroublinggivensuchpositivereviewsoftheexperienceasawhole.Asstudentsareexpectedtoinvestmoremoneyintotheirhighereducation,sotheconceptof‘valueformoney’becomesevermoreimportant.Whiletheprospectofacquiringdebtdoesnotnecessarilydeterstudentsfromapplyingtohighereducation,thosewhoenterarelookingforahealthyreturnontheirinvestment.Unfortunately,‘valueformoney’isanambiguousconcept,andfurtherresearchisneededtoestablishwhatitmeansinthecontextofhighereducationgenerally,aswellasFoundationdegreesmorespecifically.


50

References

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51

Appendix:

FuturetrackSurveyQuestions

QuestionsbelowhavebeenselectedfromeachofthethreeFuturetracksurveysatstages1,2and3.

Stage 1:

• WhichofthefollowingappliedtoyouindecidingtoenterHEandwhatwasyourmainreasonforenteringHE

• Whatwereyoureasonsforchoosingaparticularcourse?

• Whichofthefollowinginfluencedyourchoiceofuniversityorcollege?

• Howdoyouplantofundyourhighereducation?

• Onascaleof1-7where1means‘IhaveaclearideaabouttheoccupationIeventuallywanttoenterandthequalificationsrequiredtodoso’and7means‘IhavenoideawhatIwilldoafterIcompletethecourseIhaveappliedfor’,wherewouldyouputyourself?

• Priortodecidingtoapplyforhighereducation,howmuchcareersinformationandguidancedidyouhave?

• Indecidingtoapplyforahighereducationcourse,howfardoyouagreewiththefollowingstatements?

• Whoelseinyourfamilyhascompleted,orisstudyingfor,ahighereducationqualification?

• Whatisyourageandwhatisyoursex?

Stage 2:

• Howfardoyouagreeordisagreewiththefollowingstatementsaboutyourexperienceintheacademicyear2006-7?

• Howmanyhoursintotaleachweek(duringtermtime)didyounormallyspendintimetabledlessons,tutorials,practicalwork,orotheractivitiessupervisedbyalecturerorotheracademic?

• Howmanyhoursintotaleachweek(duringtermtime)didyounormallyspendworkingoncourseworkorstudyrelatedtoyourcourseotherthanintimetabledclass,aloneorwithotherstudents?

• Whichofthefollowinghasappliedtoyou,intermsofyourcourse?(relatestohowhardtheyhavefoundthecourseandhowassessmentwascarriedout)

• Wheredidyouliveduringtermtimeandhowfardidyoutraveltostudy

• Howdidyoufundyourstudies?

• Duringyourfirstyearatuniversityorcollege,didyoutakeadvantageofanyofthefollowingcareersinformationorguidanceopportunities?


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• Howmanytimesinthe2006-07academicsessiondidyouusetheCareersServiceatyouruniversityorcollege?(eitherbyvisitingit,telephoningconsultantsorloggingontoitswebsite)

• Atthemoment,doyouplantodoanyofthefollowingaftercompletingyourcurrentcourseofstudy?(relatestocareer/studyoptions)

• Haveyourideasaboutyourcareerchangedsinceyoustartedyourcourse?

• Onascaleof1-7where1means‘intermsoflong-termcareerplanningIhaveaclearideaaboutwhatIwanttodo’and7means‘IhavenoideawhatIwanttodo’,wherewouldyouputyourselfnow?

Stage 3:

• Ifyouwerestartingagain,wouldyouchoosethesamecourseandwhy?

• Careersadvicequestions

• Allofsection4regardingfutureplans

Holly Higgins, Jane Artess and Isla Johnstone

HigherEducationCareersServiceUnit

August2010

students’ experiences of full-time foundation experiences of full-time foundation degrees 2...

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