The Changing Shape of Further and Higher Education in the UK

Abstract

This chapter sets out the current and likely changing shape of the Further and Higher Education sectors in the United Kingdom, with a particular focus on the Further Education sector which most closely resembles the definition of an American Community College counterpart. Both sectors have operated under financial constraints, but it is arguably the Further Education sector which so far has had to face greater reductions in real terms funding. As a consequence, the greatest pressure has been on the provision of adult education, that is, for those who return to learning at various stages of their lives, and reductions to it undermine the dual goals of increasing economic competitiveness and improving social mobility. At the same time, the attention of some senior managers in Further Education has been drawn to a centrally driven agenda of efficiency and merger rather than driving up the capability and performance of learners.