Higher Education in FE Colleges. LSDA Reports.

Overview & Synopsis

A study looked at the past, present, and future of higher education in FE (Further Education) colleges in England, with reference to the changing policy context for this activity and the contemporary conditions for growth. Based on an analysis of secondary and statistical sources, the research highlighted these three key features in the development of higher education in FE colleges: (1) the dual character of the policies, structures, and processes relating to this provision; (2) the weak information base guiding policy development in this area; and (3) the legislative legacies and strategic uncertainties that surround decision-making in colleges. The study found that at least five policy dimensions continue to relate to the problems of FE and the relationship of FE with higher education institutions in England. The policy questions include whether FE and higher education should be more coordinated or more separated; whether future growth should be concentrated or dispersed; whether FE institutions and higher education institutions should collaborate or compete among sectors and among individual institutions; whether participation in FE should be increased in numbers or widened in direction; and whether requirements for colleges offering higher education should be made lighter or heavier. (KC)