VOCATIONAL PATHWAYS TO HIGHER EDUCATION Julia Wilson

1
VOCATIONAL PATHWAYS TO HIGHER EDUCATIONJulia
Wilson

• Barriers to Level 3 Vocational Study and to
  progression into Higher Education.
• Profile of student groups accessing Level 3
  vocational study
• Mature returners to programme such as Access to H
  E (Nursing)
• Mature students entering NVQ vocational
  programmes
• School leavers with 5 GCSEs grade C or above
  entering L3 National Diploma vocational
  programmes
• Young people who have left school with few GCSEs
  who have entered vocational courses at Level 1
  and Level 2 and progressed up to Level 3
  programmes

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Main Barriers identified

• Psychological
• Lack of belief in own ability to achieve, prior
  experience in education
• Financial Pressure
• to earn, need to find employment, cost of study
• Personal
• Family responsibilities.
• Relationships problems.
• Lack of social and emotional support.
• Lack of time, space and resources.
• Geographical
• Distance to travel, transport links

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Psychological Barriers

• The psychological barriers identified can often
  be the result of poor self esteem, lack of faith
  in their ability to achieve,
• Students may come from a cultural background
  where progress into H E is not valued or
  supported,
• They may struggle to develop the necessary study
  skills.
• Students may have a learning barrier such as
  dyslexia or a physical impairment which creates
  difficulty and which requires a high level of
  motivation and personal effort to overcome.
• Perception of courses as being gender biased,
  i.e. childcare is seen as womans work,
  engineering as a male domain.

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Ways to support

• Initial diagnostic testing
• Additional Support either individually or via
  drop in workshops
• Personal tutorial system
• Peer mentoring
• Subject tutorial support
• Study skills bridging programmes
• Positive gender role models/positive advertising
  across the gender divide

5
Financial Barriers

• Financial barriers can come through pressure to
  earn and contribute at home.
• Almost 90 of young people accessing vocational
  education have part-time jobs. This creates
  pressure on time for study and completion of
  assignments.
• Mature students over 19 years have to pay tuition
  fees and registration fees.
• Childcare costs are also a barrier.

6
Ways to support

• Access funding for help with tuition and
  registration costs (means tested family income)
• Care to Learn help with childcare costs
• Travel cost via access funding
• Crèche facilities within college
• From September 2004 Educational Maintenance
  Allowance (EMAs) for all 16 year old students

7
Personal Barriers

• Family expectations (or lack of) can present a
  barrier, students may have to overcome parental
  disapproval to progress into H E.
• Space to study and resources in the home can also
  present barriers for students.
• Personal Barriers often students have personal
  difficulties such as relationship difficulties,
  childcare responsibilities or responsibility for
  caring for others, these can act as a barrier to
  progression.

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Ways to support

• Counselling services
• Mentoring
• Individual Learning Plans which take into account
  the students need and work is programmed around
  these needs
• Career advice and guidance
• Personal advisor on site two days per week
• Parents evenings to encourage co-operation
  between parents and college

9
Geographical Barriers

• Students are drawn from a wide geographical area,
  some of the small villages to the east are poorly
  served in terms of public transport.
• Not all students can drive or have access to a
  car.

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Ways to support

• Travel pass for 16-18 year olds. Free from
  County Council for travel within the
  Nottinghamshire Borders
• For those outside the borders they can apply
  via Student Support Fund for help with Travel
  costs, subsidised fares, financial help with
  petrol costs
• College mini bus picks up in areas where public
  transport links are poor

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Barriers to Level 3 Vocational Study and to
progression into Higher Education.

• The University of Liverpool have been involved in
  widening participation and overcoming barriers.
• An exchange visit in 2002, compared the
  experience of young people from low-income
  backgrounds in major cities in America with
  those from low-income backgrounds on Merseyside,
  there were many similarities in the experience of
  the two groups.
• Financial and personal barriers, such as low self
  esteem and lack of parental aspiration were
  identified as major barriers.