§ Mr. ÖpikTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the purpose of access and foundation courses, and on their relationship to higher education. [22103]
§ Dr. HowellsAccess Courses are courses of further education which prepare students for entry to higher education. They provide mainly for mature students without conventional entry qualifications, who have the ability to benefit from higher education but do not yet feel ready for entry. They also help the needs of specific groups in the community identified as under-represented in higher education.
Foundation courses provided by higher education institutions are less well defined. Sometimes they are offered by higher education institutions as a conversion facility for students whose qualifications are not appropriate for the subject to be studied. Sometimes they are a "Year 0", a preparation for degree programmes.