The professions and Government should together introduce a national scheme for career mentoring by young professionals and university students of school pupils in Years 9 to 13. The national mentoring scheme should involve partnerships with employers, voluntary organisations, universities and schools.
Audience/stakeholder: Higher Education
‘Higher Ambitions’, sets out how UK universities can make greater economic contributions, widen access and strengthen research capacity. Its measures address many of the Panel’s recommendations, including greater business engagement, more flexibility – including vocational and part-time routes, and improved information about admissions. The Independent Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance will also address issues regarding student funding, while the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) will widen access through the funding system. Individual universities will be asked to improve mentoring and school outreach programmes, information, advice and guidance for school and university students – including promoting internships, and work experience and sandwich courses.
Recommendation 8: Opportunities to gain insights into professional life
The Government should establish a national work taster scheme for older school pupils, starting with those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds. The professions should identify employers willing to take part. Together the Government and the professions should provide financial support for the project, which should be linked to the proposed national scheme for mentoring by young professionals and university students.
Recommendation 15: Closing the attainment gap
The Government should examine these and other educational reforms as part of a sustained new drive to close the educational attainment gap.
Recommendation 29: Universities: new opportunities to pursue higher education
Universities and the Government should actively promote a range of entry points through an all-year academic calendar in order to allow learners to enrol on, and undertake, courses at more flexible times throughout the year.
Recommendation 30: Universities: new opportunities to pursue higher education
Universities and the Government should develop a transferable credit-based learning system to recognise student achievement in discrete modules or mini-courses, building on the findings of the Burgess Report.
Recommendation 31: Universities: new opportunities to pursue higher education
The Government, working with the Higher Education Funding Council for England, should prioritise investment in e-learning infrastructure to extend the possibilities of remote and online learning.
Recommendation 32: Universities: new opportunities to pursue higher education
The Government, working with the Higher Education Funding Council for England, should examine how to remove the artificial and increasingly indefensible division between part-time and full-time higher education in relation to funding, regulatory and student support frameworks.
Recommendation 33: Vocational routes into higher education
The Government should ensure that it delivers on its commitment to incorporate apprenticeship frameworks into the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) points system by 2010.
Recommendation 34: Vocational routes into higher education
The Government should fully fund an initial 3,000 Apprenticeship Scholarships to higher education, rising over time to 10,000 every year, to give the most talented apprentices the chance of a university education. Funding should come from existing Train to Gain budgets.
Recommendation 35: Vocational routes into higher education
Universities and colleges, working with the Government, should make the concept of ‘Higher Education within Further Education’ one that is universal across the country so that many more mature students, in particular, are able to study for a degree.