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Chapter 11: What Difference do Colleges make to Learners?

Attendance at college is voluntary. Students attend colleges therefore because they want to. They chose to do so because they want to better their life in some way (sometimes small, sometimes big). They want to acquire skills either because those skills unlock opportunities for them or because the skills themselves enhance the quality of their lives and those around them.

The direct benefits for many students are self-apparent - a qualification may be required to gain access to further learning, including at university, or a pre-requisite for entry into a given trade. For some, improving literacy and numeracy skills can offer many new life chances. The same can be said also of students learning English as a second language.

Figure 11 below shows that in 2004-05, 70% of student enrolments resulted in either a pass or a completed course. A further 11% were enrolments where the student is continuing to the next year of study.

Figure 11: Student outcomes for academic year 2004-05 (based on student enrolments)

* Non recognised qualifications make up 33% of enrolments, but only 7% or activity. Courses can include vocational taster courses, confidence building, IT awareness, learning a language for a holiday and leisure programmes.

Figure 12: College entry and award figures for the qualifications offered or accredited by the Scottish Qualifications Authority

Figure 12 shows the total number of candidates entered for a range of qualifications offered or accredited by the Scottish Qualifications Authority in 2005. The right-hand column shows the total number of awards recorded for that year. This should not be read as necessarily being the same candidates. Those receiving an award in 2005 may have been entered for the qualification in a year prior to this. Larger group awards such as Higher National Certificates and Diplomas can often take two or three years to complete. This table provides an overview of entry and awarding patterns in a typical college year but should not be seen as relating number of candidates registering to their successful completion of an award in that same year.

Within Figure 12 there also appears a group of qualifications for which no award figures are given. Data for this group - Access Clusters, Standard Grade and National Courses - is held by SQA and recorded on the candidate's Scottish Qualification Certificate in the regular way. However, this data is not collated or gathered together for use in college reports.

The non-recognised qualification category is also often used as a first step to more substantial programmes. Non-recognised programmes make up a large proportion of student enrolments but, as Figure 13 shows, they represent a small amount of activity. There has been a large drop in non-recognised qualifications since 2001-02.

We do not at this stage have reliable data on the destination of students after leaving college. Finding out what happens to students afterwards can be problematic. Given that students tend to be in college for relatively short periods of time, they may not appreciate the value to colleges and others of finding out the difference that college has made to their future prospects. The Scottish Funding Council has commenced a longitudinal survey of learners in both further and higher education and has attempted to deal with this problem by asking institutions to engage with students before they leave their education and seek their agreement that they will participate in such a survey. The first sweep of the survey was published in June 2005 ²⁴ and contained information on students who completed or were due to complete their programmes of study in 2004. It covered both views of students' learning experience and where that had led them. Those who responded will be surveyed again in 2007 and 2009.

Of the students questioned in the first sweep of the five-year survey:

• four-fifths would recommend their course to someone else;
• three in five regard their studies as a good investment;
• the majority obtaining employment consider their job to be appropriate to someone of their level of skills and qualifications; and
• almost all believe that studying has developed and changed them.

Figure 13: Qualification aim of study ( SUMs), 1998-99 to 2004-05 (Source: FES)

If there was no college, what would you have done? - "I'd have been forced into a dead end job"
Student, Stevenson College, Edinburgh

There are many reasons why students attend college. It may be part of their school-based curriculum. They could be attending to acquire qualifications for work or for university entry. They could be obtaining the skills necessary to become self-employed. They could be in a job and be going to college to learn skills necessary to progress their career. They could be taking steps to regain control over their lives and build their confidence. They could be learning to speak English. They could be attending a course for personal development or purely for recreation.

Basic employability and technical skills are central to the benefits learners derive from college, but they are far from being the only benefits. Other benefits can include enabling people to participate actively in society.

The benefits of college to the individual will be particular to that individual. Not all students will have the same student experience, even if they are on the same course and come from a similar background. Nor will they necessarily have the same aspirations or success either in college or afterwards. That said, there is much we can say about the general benefits of college that are common to many.

We know from research specifically into school pupils' attitudes to further education ²⁵ the benefits that pupils and teachers see from the college experience. They are:

• A sense of achievement;
• Increased motivation;
• Building confidence;
• New experiences;
• Meeting with others;
• Widening options;
• Awareness of lifelong learning;
• Easing transition to further education/higher education; and
• Providing qualifications.

The discussions undertaken with students and staff of colleges as part of the Review of Scotland's Colleges has confirmed that these benefits also extend to the general student population. Other identified benefits can include:

• Improved interpersonal and communication skills, including team-working;
• Greater work-readiness;
• Increased aspirations;
• Growth in self-responsibility; and
• Improved citizenship, including respect and tolerance.

They generally also echo the findings of a study into the view of practitioners of the wider benefits of further education in England ²⁶, which found the following benefits:

• Improved self-esteem;
• Development of social networks;
• Control and management of students' own lives;
• More aware of rights and responsibilities; and
• Tolerance of other ethnic groups.

About 38% of all Scottish domiciled higher education undergraduate students enter study at a college. One of the key benefits to learners of higher education delivered in Scotland's colleges is the Higher National qualifications themselves.

"For many students the prospect of going straight to university is simply too overwhelming and beginning at college seems a more comfortable option"
Karen, University of Strathclyde

Higher National Certificates and Higher National Diplomas have played an important role in vocational education in Scotland since the late 1920s, and have developed to serve the majority of sectors in the Scottish economy.

They create future opportunities for students on their successful completion to either enter the job market directly with a highly regarded qualification or continue with their studies to either Diploma or Degree level. A survey conducted in 2003 ²⁷ showed that over 3,000 students graduated from colleges and on to a course at a higher education institution with advanced standing (i.e. into year 2 or 3). It is increasingly common for some students to transfer upon the completion of their HNC/ HND courses to accelerate their learning in a higher education institution by going straight into second year in the case of HNCs, and third year in the case of HNDs.

Research by the Centre for Research in Lifelong Learning at Glasgow Caledonian University ²⁸ highlighted that HN candidates tend to be mature students, more likely to be part-time and to come from disadvantaged areas than other entrants to higher education in Scotland.

Karen recently graduated from the University of Strathclyde with an honours degree in Marketing and Business Law. She was the only person in her class to achieve the top award. Prior to entering the 3rd year of this course Karen completed a Diploma in Higher Education in Business at Central College of Commerce. Karen said, "For many students the prospect of going straight to university is simply too overwhelming and beginning at college seems a more comfortable option".

Of all the wider benefits, instilling self-confidence is we suggest the most fundamental and potentially life changing. It is no coincidence that A Framework for Economic Development, A Smart, Successful Scotland and Life Through Learning; Learning Through Life all speak about its importance. It is the driver for a learner's future success. That may be to further learning, training or employment. It may first allow someone to speak up in class and contribute to the discussion. It may enable them to make new friends. Success breeds success and further confidence leads to more success. For that individual that may be one small step toward unlocking a new opportunity.

Case Study: Helping Learners with Literacy/Numeracy Difficulties

Literacy and numeracy are crucial to enabling individuals to fulfil their potential and play a full part in life. Around 800,000 adults in Scotland appear to have very low skills (Adult Literacy and Numeracy in Scotland, 2001).

Colleges work in partnership with local authorities through their community learning and development programmes and voluntary organisations to help individuals with literacy and numeracy difficulties. There may be dedicated provision, but it is more common in colleges for it to be integrated into another course of learning.

There are numerous models for integrating literacies. The approach employed by Banff and Buchan College gives every student on the course the opportunity to receive integrated literacy and numeracy through whole class delivery. It is a non-discriminatory approach ensuring no student is singled out for support outwith the class. It is a collaborative team teaching approach by the literacy tutor and the subject tutor encouraging students to succeed in their course. The literacy delivery in class is then applied in the practical context.

For example, when addressing the subject of areas a joinery class was given the task of measuring the classroom they were in and working together to establish the amount of material required to panel the walls.

The whole process is inclusive with lecturers aware of the abilities of individual students. They have to be flexible and adaptable.

The college has found that its approach has increased levels of understanding, confidence and motivation with improvements in behaviour and success rates. The presentation of written work has greatly improved too.

Case Study: English for Speakers of Other Languages ( ESOL)

I want a job. I must get to Advanced and finish this language problem. I need a First Certificate. [an internationally-known Upper-Intermediate exam] I have applied for more than 100 jobs, but no thanks, sorry, no opportunities.

In 2004-05 over 6,100 college students were enrolled in courses for English for Speakers of Other Languages. This accounted for 1.9% of college activity.

The Executive is currently developing a strategy for ESOL so that all Scottish residents can acquire the English language skills to enable them to participate in Scottish life. These language skills are central to giving people a democratic voice and supporting them to contribute to the society in which they live.

About 80% of ESOL enrolments were in Scotland's colleges (this includes outreach provision funded through local authorities or Community Learning and Development partnerships) - National 'English for Speakers of Other Languages' ( ESOL) Strategy: Mapping Exercise and Scoping Study

Langside College provides ESOL programmes:

• on a short-course, part-time basis in the community, at community campuses throughout the south side of Glasgow and at a wide variety of community-based venues; and
• in college on a full and part-time basis.

In the past four academic years recruitment of the number of ESOL learners has grown by almost 40% to over 1,100. Actual college activity has almost doubled (because of the increased intensity of learner attendance).

Over 80% 'in-college' ESOL learners will attend for at least five sessions a week. Many of these learners (mainly asylum seekers) attend on a full-time basis. In 2005-06, for example, the College enrolled 242 full time asylum seeker learners.

The College also recruits 15-30 full time international ESOL students each year.

Salim came to Scotland from Iraq as an asylum seeker in 2000. Now a refugee he has been studying at Langside College for five years. His learning path is typical of many in his situation:

• Slow ESOL progression due to poor reading and writing skills (relative to traditional European English foreign language students);
• Study on non- ESOL courses has been on courses run in conjunction with ESOL support; and
• No employment success, through lack of experience and qualifications.

With support from an Asylum Seeker Development Officer (a service open to all asylum seekers and refugees at Langside College and which is part funded by the Glasgow Community Learning Strategy Partnership), he is now performing well on his Upper-Intermediate ESOL course and expects to progress in the summer of 2006. His says of his aims: "I want a job. I must get to Advanced and finish this language problem. I need a First Certificate." [an internationally-known Upper-Intermediate exam] "I have applied for more than 100 jobs, but no thanks, sorry, no opportunities."

Case Study: Progressing from College to University in Nursing

I saw this course as a stepping stone to achieving my ultimate goal of becoming a registered nurse. It was also the best option available to me as it enabled me to continue working whilst studying.

As A Framework for Economic Development in Scotland explains "There is little doubt that economic growth contributes to the improvement of health and that health itself is an important driver of economic development. Good health can boost productivity, while ill-health can impose significant costs on the economy in terms of lost working time, lost output, and less productive working time".

The Scottish Executive announced in 2003 the creation of 500 additional nurse training places. This was in response to research which predicted a significant shortfall in the number of qualified nurses across the NHS.

In the Lothians a tripartite partnership was formed between Jewel & Esk Valley College, the NHS Lothian and Napier University to develop new career opportunities for Clinical Support Workers and Care Assistants.

Each of the partners has a distinct but equally vital contribution:

• The College provides the education input. Full-time students attend college two days per week and complete their HNC within a year. They are given a paid Study Day by the NHS then spend the remaining two days each week in their jobs as Clinical Support Workers. Part-time students attend college one day per week and complete their HNC in two years;
• Napier University guarantee that all HNC graduates can articulate directly to the second year of its degree programme; and
• The NHS provides the candidates, staff cover to replace the candidates being educated and workplace supervision. They also enable candidates to work in their current jobs until their studies are complete and upon graduation, guarantee them a job as a Staff Nurse.

"The HNC students have integrated really well with the 3rd year students and this was most evident in the group work of the first semester where it was very apparent that the HNC students' clinical experience was greatly valued by the less experienced 3rd year students",

Helen Sheard, Napier University

"I saw this course as a stepping stone to achieving my ultimate goal of becoming a registered nurse. It was also the best option available to me as it enabled me to continue working whilst studying. Being a mature student with family responsibilities it offered financial security. I was always under the impression that further education was for the younger student. However, this is not the case."

Wendy

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