~NEW~ UVAC/HE@Work response to Lord Browne's Independent Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance

Our initial response to the Review has been submitted, click here to go to our response.

~NEW~ Development of Higher Apprenticeship Frameworks (incorporating Foundation Degrees) for the Health Sector with England - Skills for Health

As part of the national Apprenticeships’ agenda, Skills for Health is seeking to develop Health related Higher Level Apprenticeships in accordance with the Specification of Apprenticeships Standards for England SASE. Details on SASE can be found on the following link:

http://bis.ecgroup.net/Publications/Skills/Apprenticeships.aspx

Initially Skills for Health will be focusing on 3 key priority areas of the health sector:

* Maternity Support Workers

* Acute Care

* Rehabilitation Support Workers

In collaboration with Foundation Degree Forward (fdf), they are seeking to identify education providers, who currently offer, or are developing, a Foundation Degree in the key priority areas and who have an interest in exploring the potential for such provision to be incorporated into a new Apprentice Framework(s). Skills for Health cannot guarantee inclusion at this stage but are keen to explore the potential for inclusion.

Skills for Health would therefore encourage you to peruse the letter in the link attached and invite you to become involved in this exciting new development. Click here for further information.

UVAC Main Conference Sponsor announced

We are delighted to announce that CFE will be main sponsor of our 2010 conference. We look forward to working with CFE in the run up to the conference.

CFE are research and consultancy specialists in employment and skills. CFE work with universities and colleges to help them identify, and respond to, the higher level skills needs of their current and potential employer customers. CFE provides institutions with detailed market intelligence that can be used to develop employer-responsive products and services. They have developed a unique framework for improving the employer-facing delivery processes and systems used by institutions, that is founded on best practice from the EFQM excellence model. With over 30 dedicated staff, CFE also work on behalf of government departments and agencies, local authorities and employers. CFE’s experience and unique understanding of the local, regional and national policy landscape enables them to deliver services that are innovative, practical and responsive to the needs of our customers. CFE re-invests its profits to fund their innovative Policy Insight research series

www.cfe.org.uk

Publication of Progression from Vocational and Applied Learning to Higher
Education across the UK - A comparative study by the University Vocational Awards Council for the UK Commission for Employment and Skills

The above report is now available in PDF format from both the UVAC and UK Commission for Employment and Skills website. Click here to go to our publications page to get a copy of the report.

ASET Annual Conference 2010, Leicester University
7-9th September Gilbert Murray Stamford Hall, Oadby Campus

The theme for this year’s conference is “Enhancing the Student Experience through Work-
Based and Placement Learning”.

The conference is participatory, allowing delegates to share experiences and learn
from each other. ASET is keen to disseminate the findings and recommendations of
employability, placement, work experience and work-based learning research, including the work
of the Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. Bookings are now being taken for the annual conference – a full booking form is available on ASET's website at http://www.asetonline.org/events.htm.
To book, please complete the booking form and fax or email to the ASET office on 0114 2212903
or email to http://www.aset@asetonline.org.

UVAC publishes report 'Progression from vocational and applied learning to higher education in England'

The report, which was produced by Professor Joy Carter, Chair of UVAC for Rt Hon David Lammy MP, Minister of State for Higher Education on progression from vocational and applied learning to higher education in England, provides a detailed analysis of vocational progression and outlines a series of recommendations which we hope will contribute to improving social mobility, enabling learners develop their potential and supporting businesses. Click here to go to the Publications page to see a PDF of the report.

UVAC collaborates with Emerald to develop Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning journal

UVAC is delighted to announce it will be collaborating with the Emerald Group Publishing to develop a new journal focusing on higher education, skills and work based learning. The first edition is scheduled to be published in November 2010.

Journal Objectives

The objectives of the journal are trans-disciplinary across all sectors and subject disciplines:

To identify how skills gaps and shortages can be addressed through the provision of higher level work-based learning

To showcase UK innovation in the development, marketing, delivery, validation and evaluation of higher level work-based learning

To review and analyse international approaches to higher level work-based learning

To review and analyse the use of new technologies in the delivery and validation of higher level work-based learning

To identify and analyse partnership approaches in the development and delivery of higher level work-based learning programmes and professional development

To identify and analyse innovation in the validation of employer developed training programmes as higher education qualifications

To explore innovation in the funding of higher level work-based learning

To identify the benefits of higher level work-based learning to employers, employees and other learners

To explore new approaches to widening participation and social mobility in higher level work-based learning programmes, for adults and young people with vocational and work-based level 3 programmes and through APEL and credit

To review good practice examples of higher level work-based learning

To explore issues surrounding higher work-based learning and encourage lively argument and debate.

For more information on the journal and how to contribute, click here.

Click here for the joint press release.

New UVAC members

We are pleased to welcome the following new members to UVAC:

Council for Industry and Higher Education

Lancashire LLN

The Lifelong Learning Centre, University of Leeds

Staffordshire, Stoke on Trent, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin LLN

Manchester Metropolitan University

We look forward to meeting representatives at our conferences and events.