In the current economic climate, the necessity to address the skills shortage and maximise the productivity rates of UK plc is agreed by all. What is not always front of mind, however, is the significant contribution that part-time higher education study can make in delivering it – for the benefit of employers, employees, wider society and the exchequer.
Despite its enormous potential, the part-time sector is facing challenging times. Years of focus on expanding access to full-time disadvantaged students has meant that part-time study risks becoming the Cinderella of higher education policy.
In England, the number of people studying part-time has dropped by some 41 per cent over the last five years, with 200,000 fewer part-time students than in 2009-10. It would be very easy to put this decline down to the recent recession – and many people have. But if we take a closer look at the evidence it is clear that this simply is not the case. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have all suffered the same economic downturn, but the decline in part-time students in these nations is a fraction of that seen in England, where policy and funding changes over recent times have really taken their toll.
The British government therefore has a fundamental role to play in setting the conditions for the sector to be able to innovate further, faster and deeper.
As we approach the spending review and the government sets out its stall for the sector with the forthcoming green paper, what should the government do? One challenge it faces is the fact that there is no typical part-time student. They come from a range of backgrounds, all with different motivations to reskill, upskill and get on in life. While we should celebrate this diversity, the lack of homogeneity in the part-time student base means there is no single answer. To address the diversity of the sector the government needs to pull on a number of its policy levers to arrest the decline in this crucial market.
At The Open University, we have put forward a range of policy proposals over the years, including making loans available for students who wish to reskill and retrain and study on Equivalent or Lower Qualifications (known as ELQ). These students are prevented from accessing loans even now the fees and funding regime have changed. With up to 90 per cent of the current workforce still likely to be in work in the next decade and 13 million vacancies over the next 30 years (but only seven million school leavers to fill them), reskilling the adult population is critical.
Another is to urge the government to continue to back the Student Opportunity Allocation. A lifeline for those from lower-income and other disadvantaged backgrounds, the SOA underpins the support that part-time higher education institutions can give to attract and retain their students. For example, it is worth remembering that at the OU we have 20,000 disabled students – that is the highest number of any university in Europe. In fact, our disabled student population is greater than many universities have in total. The prime minister’s pledge to double the proportion of people from disadvantaged backgrounds entering higher education by 2020 (from levels in 2009) is commendable, but it must equally apply to part-time as well as full-time higher education.
One final important consideration for the government is providing the right conditions to attract postgraduate students to part-time study. Recent proposals put forward by the government to extend loans to postgraduate students exclude those studying at a distance, prohibit those studying at less than 50 per cent intensity and are capped for anyone age 30 or over. This short-sighted move holds back market innovation and in turn exacerbates the chronic postgraduate skills shortage in England.
The potential for the part-time distance learning model for higher education is huge – not least in terms of widening access and stepping up to the challenges and opportunities offered by the digital revolution. Let’s give all those that want to earn and learn the opportunity to do so.
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Peter Horrocks is Vice-Chancellor of The Open University
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JOIN US FOR …
The earn and learn revolution: How can government best support those in part-time higher education? in partnership with Open University
8am, Monday 28 September 2015
Wagner Hall, Regency Road, Brighton, BN1 2RT
Gordon Marsden MP Shadow business, innovation and skills minister
Liam Byrne MP Birmingham, Hodge Hill
Ann Limb Chair, Helena Kennedy Foundation
Chair: Peter Horrocks Vice-chancellor, The Open University
Refreshments provided. Wheelchair access available.
This is an invite-only breakfast roundtable. Please email for more information