Will your employer value your degree? They will if they help to create it."

"What are foundation degrees? Foundation degrees are an intermediate, work-related higher education qualification. They are designed in conjunction with employers to meet skills shortages at the higher technician and associate professional level. They are offered by universities in partnership with higher education colleges and further education colleges. Flexible study methods make them available to people already in work, unemployed people, or those wanting to embark on a career change. On successful completion foundation degree graduates can revisit their career options, and may choose to progress to further professional qualifications or to an honours degree." (UCAS: Foundation Degrees)

Foundation degrees were launched in the UK in September 2001. Already over 24,000 students have signed up to foundation degrees and a number of employers are getting involved. These modern qualifications are designed by universities and college offering vocational courses and supported by businesses keen to make sure that foundation degrees meet their needs. 

Foundation degrees further the professional development of those engaged in delivering and supporting them, and enrich the quality of the student experience. For example, to distinguish between 'on campus' and 'off-campus' educational experience we need to look at an increasingly diverse range of different learning sites and experiences? The latter is particularly important in terms of government agendas with respect to vocational education, lifelong learning and widening participation.

In terms of foundation degrees and other vocationally-focused qualifications, there is a clear need to recognise the importance of the workplace as a place of learning. It is important to look at the ways in which we support and develop the student experience in order to recognise the interaction between different and multiple suites of learning and the synergies which can be exploited between them.

Transformations are proceeding in areas which feed into and out of higher education, such as further, continuing, adult and community education as a result of government policies on social inclusion, widening participation and vocational learning. Pedagogic change has also been relatively rapid as educational providers, such as the Institutes within MCAST, have sought to reinvent their learning and teaching strategies in order to respond to new demands and learning technologies.

Learners, employers and government are, therefore increasingly expecting that educational providers will respond to such complexities and engage in dialogue with them concerning the purposes and practices of higher education.

Foundation degrees also raise issues which are of general importance at the moment such as how academically based learning relates to work based learning and which factors are important in ensuring effective partnerships between learning providers and employers. MCAST should play a transformative role in this respect through support for innovative and evidence-based practice as well as for appropriate professional development for staff engaged in delivering further education and in the workplace.

It is important that MCAST:

¤ influences the higher education community, Government and other relevant organisations regarding policy in relation to vocational education, employer engagement and work-based learning

¤ supports the professional development and scholarship of staff involved in delivering higher education in further education and in the workplace via foundation degrees

¤ facilitates the establishment of good management and leadership structures across educational partnerships and lifelong learning networks, and

¤ encourages appropriate forms of evidence and action-based research in relation to foundation degrees and the communities of practice which support them

At the same time, there are areas of emerging innovative practice in terms of work-based learning, employer engagement, partnership-working, and e-learning in the workplace. At the same time, there are disparities in terms of resources, rewards and recognition between further education and higher education, as well as between these two and workplace educators and trainers.

Students also face a diverse range of experiences in terms of their 'campus' and work-based learning, as well as in terms of support - through e-learning for example - which providers are able to provide within their staff and resources limitations. This is a situation which could be usefully addressed through:

¤ Opportunities to develop and accredit professional practice for a wide range of staff engaged in direct teaching and learning support

¤ Support for innovation and the identification of 'good' and 'best' practice

¤ Reward and recognition for the development of high quality learning and teaching

¤ Support for curriculum development in areas such as workplace, based and related learning; employer partnerships; and student employability

¤ Support for staff research and scholarship in relation to evidence-based practice

¤ Systematic reviews of the research literature with respect to key issues in vocationally focused education

There are many proposed areas of activity which have the potential to impact beneficially on the work of foundation degrees more generally. In particular, the commitment to compile evidence to support advice and inform policy; establish formal agreements with partner bodies; broker links between agencies, conduct surveys of effective practice; underpin policy and practice with research; support professional standards; accredit programmes and pathways; ensure assurance and enhancement processes; carry out systematic reviews of research evidence; and build evaluation capacity all relate strongly to the institutional mission of MCAST.

However, given the historical marginalisation of vocationally focused education in Malta, it is important that these activities include a significant commitment to overcome this marginalisation and the establishment of a vocational route through higher education, local and foreign which is both robust and sustainable.

In general there is a danger that the Academy will not represent the interests of all parts of the higher education community and, in particular, those parts which are least powerful or less established. Foundation degrees are a relatively new form of Higher Education provision and have some way to go in terms of establishing themselves. They are, however, the main form of expansion envisaged in the immediate future and represent a unique experiment in developing vocationally focused higher education within MCAST. As such they deserve the Academy's support in terms of staff professional development, innovation in learning and teaching, and the development of research and scholarship.

An opportunity to design such courses at MCAST should be considered in connection with employers and ETC and could be piloted by an experimental art & design programme and later by other institutes within the college. The Art and Design Institute within MCAST, like other institutes, has been running successfully Foundation Diplomas (level 3) and Higher National Diplomas and Higher National Certificates, the latter being also a work placement based programme (MCAST 2005 Prospectus).

This would be a practical course not so different from current programmes, with a keen focus on acquiring and applying technical skills in creative and problem solving situations. The content of the course is responsive to the changing needs of the employment sector. You may already be employed in a role that could facilitate a work-based dimension to your studies on this course. Past course track record at HND levels has shown that our students have a good competitive edge when applying for degree courses in the UK in Art and Design, for those seeking to further their achievement.

Employment opportunities could include: teaching assistants and design technology and art technicians in schools and colleges; studio and workshop assistants in a wide range of creative industries that would include theatres, museums, film and television production companies and design studios; occupational health and community arts workers, particularly those supporting the mentally and physically disadvantaged. Alternatively, if you are looking for a change of career or to start a career, then this course is ideal for practical experience that is employment driven.

This course would also make a good base for developing a career as a self-employed artist, designer or craftsperson.

Employers have often argued that they do not get what they want from higher and further education and that graduates are often ill-prepared to contribute to the organisation. Government policy should be developed, therefore, to address skills shortages strategically at all levels with the foundation degree designed to integrate work based-learning to study programmes.

The principle behind foundation degree design and delivery is that they are responsive to - and shaped by - employer demand. Consequently, it is essential that employers are involved in analysis of the benefits that can accrue to them and their workforce through a foundation degree provision.

Patrick Galea, BA (Hons) Leeds, PGCE, is a practising designer and currently deputy director at MCAST Institute of Art & Design