Combining Further and Higher Education: Policy, Organisation and Progression

Since 1997, colleges and universities that provide both further and higher education have been an important element in government policies to increase participation, differentiation and diversification in the English tertiary system.  These types of organisations are sometimes styled dual sector or mixed-economy providers.   They belong to one sector but some of their provision is the primary responsibilty of another sector.

Our project, 'Universal Access and Dual Regimes of Further and Higher Education', investigated the influence of the division between further and higher education on strategies to expand participation and promote progression in English undergraduate education.

Drawing on models and theories of differentiation in the study of higher and post-secondary education, we examined the impact of sectors at three levels: on policy formation; on organisational development; and on student progression. Our core concept was duality.  We wanted to understand how, if at all, duality was expressed, encountered and experienced in these domains.

Please see attachment to find out more about the project.