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    Higher education, mature students and employment goals: policies and practices in the UK

    Jackson, Sue and Jamieson, Anne (2009) Higher education, mature students and employment goals: policies and practices in the UK. Journal of Vocational Education and Training 61 (4), pp. 399-411. ISSN 1363-6820.

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    Abstract

    This article considers recent policies of Higher Education in the UK, which are aimed at widening participation and meeting the needs of employers. The focus is on the growing population of part-time students, and the implications of policies for this group. The article takes a critical perspective on government policies, using data from a major study of mature part-time students, conducted in two specialist institutions in the UK, a London University college and a distance learning university. Findings from this study throw doubt on the feasibility of determining a priori what kind of study pathway is most conducive for the individual in terms of employment gains and opportunities for upward social mobility. In conclusion, doubts are raised as to whether policies such as those of the present UK government are likely to achieve its aims. Such policies are not unique to the UK, and lessons from this country are relevant to most of the developed world.

    Metadata

    Item Type: Article
    Additional Information: Subject to 18 month embargo expiring May 2011
    Keyword(s) / Subject(s): higher education, lifelong learning, part-time study, mature students, foundation degrees, employer engagement
    School: Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences
    Research Centres and Institutes: Gender and Sexuality, Birkbeck (BiGS), Social Research, Birkbeck Institute for (BISR)
    Depositing User: Administrator
    Date Deposited: 25 Nov 2010 15:22
    Last Modified: 02 Aug 2023 16:52
    URI: https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/2204

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