Between June 2018 and November 2020, the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) conducted an evaluation of the Tailored Support Programme (TSP) on behalf of the Department for Education (DfE). The aim of the evaluation was to explore perceptions of the TSP and, in particular, gather data on: reasons for engagement; what was delivered;…

In 2017, the government launched Career Learning Pilots in order to test the design and provision of various training approaches for working adults with low to intermediate skills. As part of this initiative, the Department for Education provided approximately £11.3 million in funding to pilot projects that offered flexible and accessible ways of…

In May 2016, Government funding of £80 million was awarded to establish five employer-led National Colleges in key growth sectors -- Creative and Cultural (NCCI), Digital Skills (Ada), Nuclear (NCfN), High Speed Rail (NCHSR) and Oil and Gas. This was alongside substantial investment from Local Authorities (LAs), Local Enterprise Partnerships…

The free and open publication of course materials (OpenCourseWare or OCW) was initially undertaken by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and other universities primarily to share educational resources among educators (Abelson, 2007). OCW, however, and more in general open educational resources (OER), have also provided well-documented…

The recruitment and retention of senior school leaders is high on the UK Government's agenda with much attention currently being given to succession planning. Future Leaders and other fast track leadership development programmes are, in part, a response to this "crisis" brought about by demographic change--many headteachers are due to…

Review of research on employee relocation in the United Kingdom and North America identified barriers to relocation and types of personal and financial support provided by organizations. Force-field analysis assessed the relationship between barriers and organizational interventions, particularly in UK local government agencies. (SK)

Purpose: To evaluate a remote learning initiative involving filming live lectures and disseminating these via digital interactive television (DiTV), satellite to PC terminals and VHS cassette. This was accompanied by online learning materials. Design/methodology/approach: In-depth interviews were used for the aspects of the study reported in this…

The crisis in UK mathematics education, both in schools and universities, has been widely reported. Currently, 24% of full-time mathematics teachers in English secondary education have "weak" or "nil" qualifications in the subject, 31% of secondary mathematics teachers are now over the age of 50, and it is estimated that…

This paper reports a survey of the progress of participants in a year in industry scheme for A' level graduates in the UK typically aged 18/19. The scheme involves spending a supervised year in industry prior to a degree programme in engineering. The evidence shows that the year in industry: has a beneficial effect on the degree classification of…

The aging of the population of the United Kingdom has occurred at the same time as the greatest increase in unemployment since the 1930s. The older unemployed are likely to have longer periods without work than younger people. For many, loss of a job has meant enforced early retirement and a lower than anticipated income in later life. The U.K.…

This guide explains how outreach workers of adult, further, and higher education institutions across the United Kingdom can make their outreach activities more effective at widening participation. The following topics are discussed: (1) the need to encourage all groups to participate in learning; (2) the role of outreach in attracting new and…

This is the third in a series of reports published by Universities UK and the Standing Conference of Principals (SCOP) charting the development of widening participation activity across the UK higher education sector. The study analyses 34 in-depth case studies (including a re-examination of the 23 previous case studies from the 1998 and 2002…