§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to encourage conversion of (a) existing courses and (b) qualifications at Higher National Diploma level to foundation degrees. [133427]
§ Alan JohnsonI am unable to provide the information requested before the House prorogues. I will write to the hon. Gentleman with the information and place a copy of my letter in the Library.
§ Mr. HepburnTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many people are studying for foundation degrees at(a) universities, (b) higher education colleges and (c) further education colleges in (i) Tyne and Wear, (ii) the North East and (iii) the UK; [137460]
(2) how many different foundation degrees are offered at (a) universities, (b) higher education colleges and (c) further education colleges in (i) Tyne and Wear, (ii) the North East and (iii) the UK. [137459]
§ Alan JohnsonThe latest available information from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), is given in the table.
Numbers of students 1 studying for foundation degrees in English Institutions 2002–03 Number of students Institution type Tyne and Wear North East England University 394 509 8,085 FEC 162 197 1162 HEI 3170 Grand total 556 706 12,417 1 Covers students on full-time or part-time courses The latest figures published by the Universities and Colleges Admissions (UCAS) show that students on Foundation Degrees in 2003–04 will rise substantially: by early October, the number of students accepted for entry to full-time Foundation Degrees had increased by nearly 80 per cent. compared to the same point last year.
1472WThe latest course information on the UCAS website (www.ucas.ac.uk) shows that, for the 2004–05 academic year, there are 2,446 Foundation Degree courses offered in England, of which 191 are offered in the North East. The website lists institutions individually and does not list courses by type of institution, and nor does it show figures for Tyne and Wear separately. Foundation Degrees were introduced to respond to sector needs and cover a wide range of courses.
§ Mr. WillisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if he will list by(a) course and (b) institution the number of students who obtained foundation degrees in 2003; [139081]
(2) how many students who obtained foundation degrees in 2003 undertook the majority of their studies at (a) further education colleges, (b) institutes of higher education and (c) universities; [139082]
(3) how many students who obtained a foundation degree in 2003 studied (a) locally, (b) at an institution that required residential accommodation and (c) in the workplace; [139083]
(4) how many students who completed their foundation degree in 2003 enrolled for an honours degree course. [139080]
§ Alan JohnsonThe information requested is not yet available. Information on the number of students who completed foundation degree (FD) courses in 2002/03 will not be available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) until January 2004.
The latest available figures from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), showing the distribution of all FD students by the type of institution in which they are studying, is given in the following table; the HEFCE figures do not identify whether the course has been studied locally, or in the workplace.
Information on the destinations of students who obtained FDs in 2002/03, including those who proceeded to further study, will not be available from HESA until July 2004.
Students on foundation degree courses1 in England 2002/03 Type of institution Students University 8,085 FE college 1,162 HE institution 3,170 Total 12,417 1 Covers both full and part-time courses. Source
Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
§ Mr. WillisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students enrolled for foundation degrees in 2003, broken down by(a) course and (b) institution.[139084]
§ Alan JohnsonThe latest available information for 2003/04 was published by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) on 7 October. It showed that the total number of students accepted for entry to full-time foundation degree (FD) courses had risen to 5,448, an increase of nearly 80 per cent. compared to the 1473W same point last year. The figures were not disaggregated by institution. UCAS however does not cover students applying to part-time courses, and in 2002/03 around half of all FD students were on part-time courses.
§ Mr. WillisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average annual cost of a foundation degree course was in the last year for which figures are available; and what the cost was of a traditional three year honours degree course. [139086]
§ Alan JohnsonInformation on the cost of foundation degrees and honours degrees is not identified separately. The Higher Education Funding Council for England funds honours degree and foundation degree courses on the basis of the same formula which varies according to subject, institutional and student factors. This funding for teaching is allocated to institutions as a block grant and how they allocate this is for them to determine. Institutions also receive funding from other sources both public and private and may use it to subsidise some courses or faculties. The actual cost may therefore vary between institutions and subjects.
The Higher Education Funding Council for England are currently consulting on possible changes to their funding method for teaching and one proposal is that a 10 per cent. premium is introduced for foundation degrees for the short term. This would recognise the higher costs associated with partnerships between higher education institutions, further education colleges and employers. The consultation closed for comments on 14 November.