Maintaining momentum for vocational progression

This FREE event is for:

• admissions tutors

• apprenticeship providers

• information advice and guidance practitioners

• higher education lecturers on a foundation degree or HNC/D course

• those interested in finding out more about higher apprenticeships

• those needing to know more about Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning

The aim of the conference is to showcase the ways workplace and vocational learners can more easily access higher education in a form which is most suited to their own and their employers' needs and to discuss how higher education institutions can best provide for these learners to their mutual benefit.

What is it about?

With major changes happening in the world of higher education driven by government, all areas of the sector are needing to adjust. In their HE White Paper, the Government is “committed to opening up the higher education market, including to further education colleges and alternative providers, to meet the changing needs of employers, individuals and their communities.” Sussex Learning Network’s mission is to bring higher education within reach of the workplace and one of its major achievements is the suite of guaranteed progression agreements provided under the Sussex Vocational Progression Accord. This provision is being expanded to create a Sussex Progression and Credit System which increases the scope of the progression agreements, includes guidelines for the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning, typically gained in the workplace and improves opportunities for those coming through the apprenticeship routes to progress to higher education.

Who is speaking?

Keynote presentations by:

Professor Stuart Laing, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Brighton

Tristram Hughes, Research Manager, CFE

Workshops on:

• Vocational progression: an introduction to Sussexroutes. How can those providing Information, Advice and Guidance to vocational learners take advantage of this resource?  Peter Barron, Sussex Learning Network. A brief demonstration of the Sussexroutes database will be followed by a discussion. Who do vocational learners turn to if they have ambitions to move into higher education? How can we use this tool to raise realistic aspirations for vocational learners to enter higher education? How might vocational learners and advisers make the best use of this online resource? Are there areas which need augmenting?

• Enhancing higher-level work-place learning through APEL: introduction to a guide. This workshop will give an account of how the project to create detailed guidance about dealing with APEL in Sussex came about and will focus on the questions of process which are raised in it. It will be an interactive session with participants given the chance to decide whether a case study student should be advised to make an APEL claim. There will also be an opportunity to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of APEL from both an institutional and student perspective.

• Apprentices: why apprentices make good candidates for higher education. This workshop will explore the profile of advanced apprentices in Sussex. It will look at the knowledge and skills that they bring as level 3 achievers and how that differs from other learners. We will also examine the challenges they and higher education providers will face through case studies of apprentices who have entered Sussex higher education.

• Learning Opportunities for learners at work: what is the Learning Opportunities service and how can it benefit learners? The Learning Opportunities in the South East online service is useful for tutors, advisers and students who need help with decisions about education and work. It has recently been expanded to include three separate sections.  LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES is for all those interested in vocational higher education; WORKING OPPORTUNITIES includes job searching resources and ENTERPRISE OPPORTUNITIES provides advice about starting and growing a new business. This workshop will provide an overview of the service that includes 1:1 support by email.

Download the full programme (pdf 230 KB)

Where and when is it?

Bramber House, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9QU (www.sussex.ac.uk/conferenceservices/1-7.html)

7 December 2011, 09.30-14.00. Lunch is included.

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