higher education. A high proportion of further education participants also come from the lower socio-economic groups that are under-represented in higher education. For example, almost 20 per cent of students in further education are from non-manual worker backgrounds, while only 9 per cent of students in higher education are from similar backgrounds14. From the available evidence, it appears that further education institutions also have a higher representation of students with a disability and members of cultural and ethnic minority groups.
It then
follows that if higher education institutions are to reach out and attract more people from these target groups, they will find them in further education centres around the country. The main questions for the future concern how best to frame policies that encourage better linkage between further and higher education so that learners can move easily through the different levels of learning and be supported in their participation and progress up the framework of qualifications.
3
Issues to be considered in developing a new policy on access courses
Developing policy: the HEA context The HEA has announced that it proposes to take a series of steps over the next two years to implement the recommendations of the recent evaluation of access programmes. Some of these steps are of particular relevance for access courses. Firstly, a three-year access plan will be sought from each institution. Each institution’s plan will include targets for the next three years as well as a means to measure progress each year. It is also proposed to make material from the selfevaluation reports available on the web as a developmental resource, with the cooperation of institutions. Secondly, the level of core funding and strategic funding for access will be monitored in regular budget meetings with institutions. Thirdly, a
14
The Post-Leaving Certificate Sector in Ireland: A Multivariate Analysis of Educational and Employment Outcomes (ESRI, 2006); Who Went to College in 2004? (HEA, 2006).
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