https://www.aoc.co.uk/news/aoc-responds-teach-first-report
Teach First report – ‘Impossible? Beyond access: getting to university and succeeding there’. David Hughes, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges, said: “Today’s report from Teach First highlights the enormous inequalities in access to higher education for young people which have not been addressed despite strenuous efforts and investment over many years. The causes and the solutions are complex and the report itself recommends some sensible approaches. For instance, the report proposes that careers advice needs to be improved to help young people to choose the right path. The Association of Colleges has long been calling for this.
“The broader issue is that attending a typical three-year residential course at a university may not be the right path for all people. I would like to see more emphasis placed on the diversity of offers which colleges specialise in – providing technical and professional alternatives to the traditional academic degree. These enable students to study closer to home with lower tuition fees, often with smaller class sizes enabling more individual tuition.
CEO of Qualifi Awarding Organisation, Jason Goodyear echoes the comments made by Mr Hughes and would like to invite colleges to become Qualifi approved centres in order to offer Qualifi vocationally related higher education qualifications available at level 4 to level 8 with Honours Degree and Masters Degree Top Up options. Qualifi qualifications are Advanced Learner Loan approved thus enabling students to access local, affordable, flexible delivery of higher education qualifications.