HE in FE: Which way forward?

The TES is reporting that the Ascociation of Colleges have dropped their campaign for a new Bachelor of Vocational Studies degree. I think this is the right decision. Many of us who have been involved with Foundation Degrees over the years know how difficult it has been to establish a new qualification in the minds of the public, employers and colleagues. The Bachelor of Vocational Studies degree might well have faced even greater challenges. There name could easily be confused with BA/BSc courses which they were unlike, while there structure would be similar to exisitng Foundation Degrees (for which colleges can already apply for awarding powers). In addition, the validating 'National Skills University' might have proved to be costly and bureaucratic. Let me emphasise, I have seen excellent examples of higher education delivered in FECs and take the view that they can and should play a greater role in future HE provision. However, I don’t think the Vocational Studies idea was a good one and I’m glad to see that it has been dropped.