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Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) 2024

PG research

Have your say

PRES will launch on Monday 15 April 2024 for postgraduate research (PGR) students to complete.

Look out for an email from the University containing your unique link to the survey.

We are keen to make sure our PGRs have the best possible experience while studying with us. To do this, we need to know what you think works well and what as a University we could do better. This is your chance to tell us about your experience as a PGR at Bournemouth University. We also kindly ask that all supervisors encourage their PGRs to participate in the survey.

Thank you to all PGRs who completed the 2023 PRES survey – we listened to you and your feedback has helped us to enhance your PGR experience in a range of areas.

This year the survey will open on Monday 15 April 2024 and close on Thursday 16 May 2024. Upon completing the survey, PGRs will automatically entered into a free prize draw. Four winners will be able to claim a £50 shopping voucher. Terms and conditions apply.

In addition, we will be making a £1 donation for every survey completed to the student mental health wellbeing charity, Student Minds.

Once you have completed the survey, you are entitled to claim a coffee voucher worth £3.20, from the Doctoral College to use at any BU Chartwells outlet. Please come to the Doctoral College (DLG08, Talbot Campus) to collect your voucher. You will need to show a screen shot of the final page of the survey in order to claim your voucher.

How do I take part?

PGRs will receive an email from the University on Monday 15 April 2024 containing a unique link which will allow you to access and complete the survey. If you can’t find this email, contact PRES@bournemouth.ac.uk and we’ll help you to get access.

What will I be asked?

The survey will take around 15 minutes to complete. Your response is confidential, and any reporting will be entirely anonymous. The survey is your chance to tell us about your experience as a PGR at BU. It will ask you to share your views on supervision, resources, research community, progress and assessment, skills and professional development and wellbeing.

Why should I take part?

Your feedback is important. The Postgraduate Research Experience Survey is the only national survey of PGRs and so is the only way for us to compare how we are doing with other institutions and to make changes that will improve your experience in the future.

More information

If you would like to know more about the survey, please visit: PRES 2024.

We hope you take the opportunity to get involved this year and help us make improvements to your experience.

Best wishes,

The Doctoral College

For any PRES related queries, please email: PRES@bournemouth.ac.uk

The Month in Research: March 2024

A cartoon image of black and white hands clapping on a yellow background

The Month in Research

The Month in Research is our monthly round-up sharing research and knowledge exchange successes from across the previous month, showcasing the amazing work taking place across BU.

Your achievements

Thank you to everyone who has put forward their achievements, or those of colleagues, this month.

Funding

 Congratulations to all those who have had funding for research and knowledge exchange projects and activities awarded in January. Highlights include:

  • Dr Catherine Talbot (Faculty of Science and Technology) has been awarded c.£25,000 from the ESRC for their project EquaDem Network Plus: A national network on addressing inequalities in dementia diagnosis and care and building capacity, in partnership with Liverpool University (lead institution).
  • Dr Suelen Carls (Faculty of Media and Communication) has been awarded c.£25,000 by the Leverhulme Trust for their project International Business and Intellectual Property Rights in the Latin American Institutional Perspective
  • Professor Carol Clark (Faculty of Health and Social Sciences) has been awarded c.£2.6 million by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) for their project INSIGHT-BU, in partnership with University of the West of England (lead institution).
  • Several BU researchers have received c.£10,000 from the BA/Leverhulme Trust Small Grants scheme:

– Dr Anna Metzger (Faculty of Science and Technology) for their project Haptic Virtual Materials

–  Dr Hyun-Joo Lim (Faculty of Health and Social Sciences) for their project How effective are menopause policies at universities in England

–  Dr Andrew M’Manga (Faculty of Science and Technology) for their project Investigating Security and Privacy Awareness Requirements for UK International Students New to Contactless Payments

–  Dr Matteo Toscani (Faculty of Science and Technology) for their project Modelling peripheral vision in natural scenes

–  Dr Alejandro Estudillo for their project Maximising the impact of “Achieving Best Evidence” interviews on face composite construction.

Publications

Congratulations to all those who have had work published across the last month. Below is a selection of publications from throughout March:

Content for The Month in Research has been collected using the research and knowledge exchange database (RED), the Bournemouth University Research Online (BURO) repository and submissions via The Month in Research online form. It is by no means intended to be an exhaustive list. All information is correct as of 28.3.24.

Please use The Month in Research online form to share your highlights and achievements, or those of colleagues, for the next monthly round-up.

Celebrating with the RNLI

Awarded & submitted bids, international, PG research, Publishing

Staff in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences at Bournemouth University (BU) would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the charity the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) on its 200th anniversary!  Some of us have personal experience of working with the RNLI.  For example, Adam Bancroft, Programme Lead in Paramedic Science and Senior Lecturer in Paramedic Science, in the Department of Midwifery & Health Sciences has been a lifeboat volunteer  Adam and his wife Paula were  both volunteer crew at Tower RNLI on the banks of the river Thames, which is still the busiest RNLI station in the UK.   They would commit to at least two shifts a month where they would be at a state of readiness to launch at moments notice on the pier, ready to respond. 
The picture of Adam and Paula was taken in 2013 for the RNLI as part of a photo shoot that was published in the Lifeboat magazine featuring volunteers and the different walks of life from across the UK and Ireland and the Channel Islands.  I am not sure Adam wants me to share this, but on their wedding day the ‘car’ for Paula was the spare RNLI boat, crewed by volunteer and full-time crew who gave their time to deliver her to the party boat for the service.  Adam did say that sadly neither of them able to volunteer now.
In a very different way of working with the RNLI, BU academics currently are involved in a collaborative research project with RNLI to prevent the drowning of toddlers under the age of two in rural Bangladesh.  This project called Sonamoni.  BU is leading this interdisciplinary study of nearly £1.7 million funded by the UK National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
This interdisciplinary project is a collaboration of BU’s Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH), BU’s Department in Accounting, Finance & Economics and Department of Design & Engineering, and external partners, namely the University of the West of England, the University of Southampton, the Poole-based RNLI and in Bangladesh the research organisation CIPRB (Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh), and in Uganda Design Without Borders (DWB).  The Bournemouth University team comprises staff from three faculties: Dr. Mavis Bengtsson, Dr. Kyungjoo Cha, Dr. Mehdi Chowdhury, Dr. Yong Hun Lim, Mr. John Powell, and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen, and one PhD student Mr. Md. Shafkat Hossain.
Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen
CMWH

RKEDF April digest – training opportunities for YOU!

R & KE Operations, Training

We’re excited to share some great RKEDF training opportunities coming up in April 2024.  

Click on the titles to find further details and book your place. Details of an ECRN Funding call can also be found at the end…… 

 Online RSA Drop-In meeting    

Wednesday 3rd April, 10:30-11:00, Online  

Meet your RSA reps, hear updates on how BU is implementing the Research Concordat and give feedback or raise concerns that will help to develop and support the research community at BU. 

 Principal Investigation                                                                      

Wednesday 10th April, 14:00-15:00 at Talbot Campus 

This session is aimed at any researcher who is, who plans to be, a Principal Investigator for an externally funded research or knowledge exchange project.   

 Introduction to RED – The Research & Enterprise Database 

Thursday 11th April, 10:00-10:30 Online  

An overview of the Research & Enterprise Database and how to use RED to identify your supporting pre and post award officers.   

Engaging with Schools & young people 

Tuesday 16th April, 10:00-11:00, online 

Engaging young people with the world of research can be a worthwhile and enjoyable experience for everyone involved. You can benefit from the opportunity to develop and put into practice your skills, build confidence and widen your research horizons. 

 RDS Academic & Researcher Induction 

Wednesday 24th April, 09:30-11:00 Online 

This event provides an overview of all the practical information staff need to begin developing their research plans at BU, using both internal and external networks; to develop and disseminate research outcomes; and maximising the available funding opportunities. 

 Impress the Press: How to talk to Journalists   

Wednesday 24th April, 14:00 – 16:00 at Talbot Campus  

A practical session covering tips and techniques for speaking with broadcast media (TV and radio) followed by the chance to put it into practice through mock interviews.  No previous experience is necessary. 

 Introduction to BRIAN 

Monday 29th April, 10.00-11.00 at Talbot Campus 

This interactive workshop is an introductory session to BRIAN (Bournemouth Research Information And Networking), BU’s publication management system.  It is aimed at those who are new to BU or have not updated their staff profile for a while.  Attendees will need to bring their laptop. 

 Research Council Development Scheme (RCDS) 

RDS is continuing with the RCDS through April 2024 

The RCDS is a coordinated, targeted set of activities designed to inspire and equip BU researchers to achieve greater success with Research Council funding. Attendees have been nominated by their Head of Department 

 ECRN Funding Call NOW OPEN 

The RKEDF and BU ECRN are delighted to offer funding (up to £500) to organise an event, roundtable, meeting, training, or workshop in support of research at BU. 

This funding supports BU Early Career Researcher Network members to organise and facilitate an event that can be thematic, subject/discipline based, foster community engagement, knowledge exchange or networking and does the following; 

–             Brings ECRs and others together to share ideas, knowledge and learning. 

–             Provides a space for intellectual discussion. 

–             Helps to facilitate collaboration and future opportunities. 

–             Enables an opportunity for networking. 

For all the details, click on the title above – deadline for submission is Friday 26th April 2024 

 For any further information, please contact RKEDF@bournemouth.ac.uk  

Please, help us to avoid any waste of resources; make sure you can attend or cancel your booking ahead of the session.  

RKEDF Workshop: Impress the Press: How to talk to Journalists – Wednesday 24 April 2-4pm

Knowledge Exchange

A practical session covering tips and techniques for speaking with broadcast media (TV and radio) followed by the chance to put it into practice through mock interviews.

This session is open to all academic staff with an interest in engaging with the media. No previous experience is necessary.

By the end of the session, attendees will:

  • Have a better understanding of communicating their work with the media
  • Understand the difference between TV and radio interviews and what is required
  • Feel confident in undertaking media interviews and dealing with difficult questions

Facilitated by: Emma Matthews – Research Communications Adviser & Stephen Bates – Senior Press Officer

Wednesday 24 April, 2-4pm

Talbot Campus

Book your place here under ‘Impress the Press: How to talk to Journalists – 16/04/2024’ in the drop-down menu

RKEDF Workshop: Engaging with Schools & young people – Tuesday 16 April 10-11am

Knowledge Exchange

Book your place here – under “Impact Essentials: Engaging with Schools and young people – 16/04/2024” in the drop-down menu

BU ECRN Funding call NOW OPEN

Funding opportunities

The RKEDF and BU ECRN are delighted to offer funding (up to £500) to organise an event, roundtable, meeting, training, or workshop in support of research at BU.

This funding supports BU Early Career Researcher Network members to organise and facilitate an event that can be thematic, subject/discipline based, foster community engagement, knowledge exchange or networking and does the following;

–             Brings ECRs and others together to share ideas, knowledge and learning.

–             Provides a space for intellectual discussion.

–             Helps to facilitate collaboration and future opportunities.

–             Enables an opportunity for networking.

– Please note all requests are subject to approval by the RKDEF Team and must be made at least 3 weeks in advance of the event date. No reimbursements for payments will be made without prior authorisation from the team.

– All expenses must be paid by the end of the BU financial year (July 2024)

– You will need to receive written confirmation from RKDEF that your request has been successful before you can proceed with organising the event. 

– The event cannot have taken place prior to submitting your application.

Eligible costs

  • Event space
  • Travel bursaries for attendees
  • Catering and refreshments (Tea, Coffee, Water, Light snacks, Lunch)
  • Av (projector, screen, laptop, tech support on the day, microphones)
  • Printing costs (meeting handouts)
  • Speaker fee (up to £500)

Ineligible Costs

  • Software or hardware.
  • International event, speaker, or travel costs.
  • Costs for dependants or spouses to attend events.
  • Research costs.

How to apply:

Please download and complete all sections of the EOI for BU ECRN Funding (500 words max per section) and email your completed application to: RKEDF@bournemouth.ac.uk by 26th April 2024. Successful applicants will be notified by 1st May 2024.

If you have any questions or queries, please contact BU ECRN Academic Leads Ann Hemingway (aheming@bournemouth.ac.uk) and Sam Goodman (sgoodman@bournemouth.ac.uk) or RKDEF Advisor Joelle Fallows (jfallows@bournemouth.ac.uk).

The Fog of Streaming Wars

In his recent article published in The Conversation, Prof. John Oliver provides a provocative thought piece that describes the current market dynamics of subscription-video-on-demand (SVOD) streaming firms and an outlook on the industry’s future direction.

He notes that the industry is currently characterized by an oversupply of service providers which has led to aggressive competitive pricing and a squeezing of profit margins. He goes on to conclude that the weaker players, those with less efficient operations or inferior offerings, are starting to struggle and an ‘industry shakeout’ is inevitable.

You can access the article at: https://theconversation.com/in-the-fog-of-the-video-streaming-wars-job-losses-and-business-closures-are-imminent-225829

BU Professor gives keynote address on authorial careers at Milan Conference

international

This Monday and Tuesday Professor Hywel Dix travelled to the University of the Sacred Heart in Milan to give the keynote at a conference entitled ‘Auctor in Fabula: Autofiction and Authorial Traces in Literature, Drama and Audiovisual Drama.’ This bilingual English and Italian event with simultaneous translation explored ways in which artists and writers in a range of different media have drawn on their own life stories in their creative work, and with what effects. Dix’s keynote ‘Fictions of Self-retrospect: Constructing the Narratives of Authorial Careers’ contributes to theoretical research into ideas of ‘the author’ by arguing that our understanding of authorial careers has the potential to be enhanced by Career Construction Theory, a form of vocational guidance counselling that uses storytelling to enable people to construct narratives of their vocational lives. The central tenet of this practice is that at moments of transition people write their career narrative, becoming in the process both its author and lead protagonist. Since people turn to vocational guidance during periods of uncertainty or change, this uncertainty has been compared to the experience of writer’s block. Narrating their life story allows them to see themselves in their story in order to plot the next chapter in it and therefore overcome that block. The paper explored what happens when these ideas are applied to the work of people who are not just metaphorically but also literally authors of their life stories, i.e. empirical authors. It suggests that Career Construction Theory can be seen as a new theory of authorship when it is applied in this way and that as such, it supplies a conceptual paradigm for identifying the different components that compose an overall authorial career in the changing cultural conditions of today’s world.

REF2029 Open Access Policy Consultation is now open

open accecss, Publishing, REF Subjects, Research assessment

Last week, the four UK higher education funding bodies launched a consultation on the proposed Open Access Policy for REF2029.

Proposed changes from the REF2021 policy include an open access requirement for longform publications, the shortening of permittable embargo periods for journal articles and changes to article deposit and licensing requirements. More details on the proposed policy can be found here: https://www.ref.ac.uk/guidance/ref-2029-open-access-policy-consultation/

BU will be submitting an institutional response to the consultation, however anyone with an interest in open access publishing and what this might mean in relation to the REF is also invited to respond as an individual. You can respond to the consultation on the UKRI engagement hub.

The consultation closes on Monday 17 June 2024 and the REF team intends to publish the final REF2029 Open Access Policy in summer/autumn 2024.

Editorial accepted by Frontiers in Public Health

international, open access, Publishing, writing

As part of the special issue in Frontiers in Public Health on ‘Evidence-based approaches in Aging and Public Health’ the guest editors included 15 academic papers.  These 15 contributions to the Special Issue were introduced in placed in perspective in our editorial ‘Editorial: Evidence-based approaches in Aging and Public Health‘ [1] which was accepted for publication two days ago.   The guest editors included two Visiting Faculty to FHSS: Prof. Padam Simkhada and Dr. Brijesh Sathian.

 

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH)

Reference:

  1. Sathian, B., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., Kabir, R., Al Hamad, H. (2024) Editorial: Evidence-based approaches in Aging and Public Health, Frontier in Public Health 12 2024 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1391432

The Academy of Medical Sciences Springboard Round 10

The next round of the Academy of Medical Sciences Springboard scheme will open soon. The University can submit up to 4 application. We will be running a university Expression of Interest (EOI) process to select applicants to the scheme.

The Academy of Medical Sciences Springboard scheme offers £125,000 funding over 2 years towards research costs and professional development. The scheme is targeted at those in the early stages of their first independent research position and have not yet been in receipt of substantial research funding. Applications are encouraged from across the biomedical field from molecular, cellular and structural biology to anatomical, physiological, psychological, epidemiological and public health research areas.

Timeline

Internal Expression of Interest deadline: Friday 19th April noon. EOIs should include the completed form and an up-to-date CV (including publications, previous research funding and employment history)

Candidates Informed of Outcome: Wednesday 24th April.

BU deadline to nominate Candidates to AMS: Friday 26 April noon

AMS Deadline for nominated applicants: Open 30th April and close 5th June.

The EOI form can be found here I:\RDS\Public\AMS Springboard.

Please contact Kate Percival (kpercival@bournemouth.ac.uk) if you would like to submit an EOI.

Dementia Care and the dog cafe

Caroline and Catherine from the Ageing & Dementia Research Centre attended the March dog café at the Potteries Care Home in Poole, Caroline took along her Double Doodle dog called Bailey. It happened to be the same week that Crufts had been on the TV, so it was a special Crufts themed dog cafe. It proved to be the most popular turn out so far with about 15 dogs of all shapes and sizes in attendance – even a human dressed up as a dog! It was lovely to see the ladies from Waggy Tails dog rescue charity and three of their dogs.

The Crufts special dog show included a dog agility course and 3 prize categories
which were:

  1. Best waggy tail
  2. Best in show
  3. Fastest time for the agility course

It proved to be popular with both care home residents and the community alike. Both Caroline and Catherine highly enjoyed the event and formed good contacts to explore further opportunities to develop research around the benefits of animals in dementia care.

Here are a few photos from the event.

International midwifery collaboration on early labour

international

Academics from the Centre for Midwifery and Women’s Health (CMWH) traveled to Winterhur, Switzerland with the Swiss European Mobility Programme.

The education and research programme, organised by the team at Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften (Zurich University of Applied Sciences), involved a workshop with midwives from across Europe ( Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and Germany) discussing midwife-led care.

Professor Vanora Hundley and Dr Dominique Mylod were also invited to give a lecture on the latent phase / early labour as part of the final Gebstart conference. They presented recently published research that was included in thespecial issue in Women & Birth at the end of last year.

This meeting and collaboration with colleagues from across Europe builds on the work of the International Early Labour Research Group.

 

Relevant papers:

Mylod DC,  Hundley V, Way S, Clark C (2023) Can a birth ball reduce pain perception for women at low obstetric risk in the latent phase of labour? The Ball Assisted Latent Labour (BALL) randomised controlled trial. Women & Birth https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2023.11.008 

Grylka-Baeschlin S, Hundley V, Cheyne H et al (2023) Early labour: an under-recognised opportunity for improving the experiences of women, families and maternity professionals Women & Birth https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2023.09.004  

HE policy update no 8 25th March 2024

innovation, international, Knowledge Exchange, NHS, Research assessment

Some more optimistic takes on what might be in the party manifestos for HE: the sort of commitments being asked for seem somewhat optimistic: later in this update I look at some detailed proposals on maintenance finance, a call to scrap the REF (which might have more take-up in the manifestos), the KEF via a HE- BCI survey (might someone suggest scrapping the KEP?), apprenticeship results are out and numbers on international education.  Amongst all that I also look at a speech from Susan Lapworth.

Manifesto for HE

You’ve seen the UUK one, here is the one from MillionPlus. (Policy update from February: The UUK manifesto sets out a wish list for the sector.  It all looks very expensive and so while ambitious, unlikely to be replicated in anyone’s actual manifesto.  We can expect to see more of these over the next few months. Research Professional have the story here.)

Scrap REF and save money

Iain Mansfield says that Labour should ‘scrap REF and save half a billion’, Research Professional reports.  Not because there is any problem with a metric for research: just a strong feeling that it shouldn’t include a metric for environment and culture. RP add: Speaking at Research Professional News live last week, Labour’s shadow science minister, Chi Onwurah, said she was “concerned about some of the bureaucracy associated with the REF” and stopped short of committing to retaining it in its current form. I don’t think that means stopping the culture and environment part, but it is hard to know.  These debates will run for a while.

HE-BCI review

The HE-BCI survey is used in the Knowledge Exchange Framework.  Just how much difference the KEF makes to anything and how interested anyone except the sector really is in it, is still, for me, an open question that I have asked since KEF was just a glint in Jo Johnson’s eye (the third leg of the HE stool etc…).  Of course if they started using KEF to allocate HEIF it would matter a lot more, but the KEF data doesn’t really lend itself to that.  As a reminder, it uses a different comparison group (clusters) to everything else, three of its “perspectives” are self-assessed and all it tells you is whether engagement with the perspective is deemed to be low, medium or high.  In a highly technical presentation format.

But as the (only real) metrics behind the (incomprehensible) KEF wheels (just take a look here and see what you learn), HE-BCI data does have some influence.  And HESA did a survey on some bits of it which closed in January.  There will be another consultation at some point.

The regulator speaks

It is always interesting to hear or read a speech by the head of the OfS, so here is one.

After a friendly introduction telling the Association of Colleges what good work their members do, it is straight in on quality:

  • Although, of course, not every college higher education student is in that position, the college sector should collectively be very proud that so many who are get the guidance and support they need in further education settings.
  • But, sadly, we know that in too many parts of the system, students’ interests are not always being well-served
  • …[Students] have serious questions about:
    • the amount of teaching they receive,
    • the frequency and usefulness of feedback provided to them, and
    • the level of support, both academic and pastoral, they can access.

Talking about the ongoing quality assessments, there are some changes coming:

  • Updating some of the language we use. So we might talk more about assessments or compliance assessments, rather than investigations.
  • We think there’s scope for additional training for assessment teams, for example, focusing on welfare to ensure staff are appropriately supported during visits and the wider process.
  • And we know the sector would like us to publish more information about how institutions are selected for assessment and how the process unfolds from there

A defensive approach to the big effort on freedom of speech?  You decide

  • Defining more clearly and coherently the student interest will also support another area where our regulation is developing: freedom of speech and academic freedom.
  • As that work has progressed, we have sometimes been told, including by some students, that students do not consider this a priority. But we know that the National Student Survey found that one in seven students in England felt unable to freely express their views.
  • … the collective act of debate and dissection of ideas, old and new, is what allows us to be confident that what and how students are learning represents the best knowledge we currently have. If students don’t recognise this, we need to understand why. Is it an artefact of who speaks loudest in our current systems? Or that cost-of-living worries and the associated challenges have reduced the scope for considering these broader issues? Or that students today have a fundamentally different conception of what freedom of speech and academic freedom ought to entail?

And some new areas of focus:

  • For example, although access to accommodation appears in our Equality of Opportunity Risk Register, we’ve been cautious about stepping into that arena in regulatory terms. But it is clear that students are increasingly concerned about the cost, quality and uneven availability of accommodation for their studies. It’s the most frequently mentioned issue in discussions with students in my visits to institutions.
  • Likewise, while we’ve taken steps to encourage stronger working links between those we regulate and the organisations that provide health services to students, particularly to support their mental health, we’re not the regulator of those services, and much of the most critical care can’t be provided by universities and colleges directly…. we are open to the view that, as a regulator framed and formed in relation to the interests of students, it may fall to us to take action, or to seek to better co-ordinate the activity of others, or to just talk about them because they matter to students.

And there is a new strategy consultation coming for the OfS.

Apprenticeships

Achievements rate update: a update published by the DfE. The Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education, Robert Halfon has written an open letter to the apprenticeship sector celebrating the latest achievement rates and setting out some developments.

While the government are very keen to encourage more apprenticeships, there is a stern approach to providers here: not dissimilar to the rhetoric on HE, there will be student number controls linked to quality as defined by outcomes.  While “training not being as good as hoped” is a factor in the list above, as is “poor organisation” of the programme, that is in the context of all the other reasons linked to employers and jobs.  However, the government can’t do much about those, and is not in the business of discouraging employers from participating.  But this will put more pressure on providers who are already finding apprenticeships bureaucratic and hard and expensive to deliver.

It’s not putting them off just yet, though.  This update from the OfS on the second wave of funding for apprenticeships highlights how many providers are really going for it.  Degree apprenticeships funding competition: Funding allocated to wave 2 projects (officeforstudents.org.uk)

Anyway, the ideas for future development in the Minister’s letter are:

  • Apprenticeship Standards. IfATE will be looking closely at apprenticeship standards that are not producing good outcomes for employers or the economy – especially where they are underused or too many learners are dropping out without completing – and speed up action to either improve them or remove them where it is clear the apprenticeship standard is not working.
  • Quality of Training. We know that the quality of training is a major factor in whether apprentices complete. Through the apprenticeship accountability framework, we have assessed provider performance against a range of measures to give an overall picture of their quality of delivery. ….. In future performance assessments, we will not hesitate to robustly challenge providers showing insufficient improvement. We will deploy appropriate support, where providers demonstrate a capacity to improve in a timely manner, and we will continue to consider factors outside of providers’ control, where these can be evidenced. However, we will also use contractual measures including potential limitations on growth, stopping delivery of standards with low apprenticeship achievement rates and removal from the market where this is necessary to protect apprentices and employers and ensure they have access to high quality training. Concurrently we will also seek to enrich the market by making it easier to enter for providers that can deliver to our priorities – for example to increase participation from SMEs and young people.
  • Employer improvement. We now want to give employers better access to information and data to help manage their own apprenticeship programme and benchmark against others to help drive up improvements across the programme. We will test options for the information we could use to support this and work with Top 100 employers to identify how to make the information available. This will be in addition to the support offered to employers through resources, best practice sharing, and events to support self-improvement.
  • End-Point Assessment. We continually review the assessment process for apprenticeships to make sure it is proportionate, supports achievement and is fit for the future. Working with IfATE, the providers engaged with the Expert Provider pilot and the FE Funding Simplification pilot, we will identify further options to improve the assessment model, making it more efficient for the whole sector…
  • Expert Provider Pilot and SME engagement. … As a result of the pilot we are developing a new, simple one step approval for SMEs engaging with apprenticeships for the first time. This new flexibility is being developed with colleges and training providers and will be available later this year. …

Student finance

Oh dear, another negative story about student debt that will discourage potential applicants (and as always, their parents).  This time it is the BBC who revealed that the UK’s highest student debt was £231k.  Quite how they managed to rack up that much is unclear: by doing lots of courses, it seems (although surely there are limits on that – apparently there are exceptions to those rules).  The highest level of interest accumulated was around £54,050.  The student interviewed is a doctor: the length of medical programmes means that, along with vets and dentists, doctors tend to accumulate the highest student loans.

The Sutton Trust have published a report on reforming student maintenance ahead of the general election.

There are suggestions about how to address the challenges.

  • The analysis covers three potential systems, all of which would increase the amount of maintenance students would have available to them day to day, rising from the current level of £9,978 to £11,400. This is the level that recent Sutton Trust research has found is the median spending on essentials for students living away from home outside of London for 9 months of the year,… This would also set maintenance support at a similar level to what they would receive if paid the National Living Wage while studying, a method the Diamond Review in Wales used to set maintenance levels.

Scenarios include

  • Scenario 1 – Increasing overall maintenance levels, with equal loans for all students and maintenance grants making up the difference.
  • Scenario 2 – Increasing overall maintenance levels, with variable loans and with maintenance grants focused on the poorest students.
  • Scenario 3 – Increasing overall maintenance levels by means-tested loans only.

The value of international education

The government has issued 2021 data on UK revenue from education related exports and transnational education activity.

David Kernohan from Wonkhe has some analysis, always worth checking out for the nuances, including:

  • 2021 was a long time ago
  • It’s also notable that all these figures are based on exports only – there is no adjustment at all for costs incurred in delivering a service overseas.
  • pathway provider income (programmes that help to prepare overseas students for study at a UK university) is estimated based on a survey of six large providers (CEG, INTO, Kaplan, Navitas, Oxford International, Study Group) conducted by one of the participants (Kaplan)

Research Professional also has an article.