Revitalising the flexible learning offer University of Greenwich Experience Work-based Learning Flexible Frameworks: Applied Professional Studies & Higher Level Apprenticeships

 This Presentation will provide you with an overview of the University of Greenwich undergraduate and postgraduate flexible Applied Professional Studies programme together with recent developments and delivery of Higher Level Apprenticeships  These flexible part-time awards are offered by the Centre for Work Based Learning (CWBL), which aims to: ‘Promote the value and role of professional practice in society, developing individuals who have the conceptual, analytical and communication skills necessary to sustain them in the changing workplace of the future’.  This aim informs our work and that of colleagues, learners, the wider academic community and our partners in the professional sector  CWBL is a coordinated, south-east area-based, multi-stakeholder Centre who's mission remains an approach to harnessing the skills, experience and resources of those in the public, private and voluntary sectors to ‘support professional development and practice‘ recognised by Higher Education Introduction Increasingly, work-based learning is being recognised as a solution to support the social mobility agenda and to improve specific opportunities for non-traditional HE learners.

Are part-time, flexible learners a missed opportunity for higher education delivery? Yes, but they require a greater understanding and a tailored approach!  The structure of the HE part-time flexible learning market and the dynamics and drivers shaping its development are significantly different to the traditional full-time offer  Much more heterogeneous & diverse with respect to entry qualifications than full-time learners  Different learner attributes (attitudes, motivations, perceived barriers), study requirements and aspirations  Maximising participation requires developing routes to market providing a flexible portfolio offer, together with a differentiated marketing and outreach strategy  Engagement and support arrangements requires alternative provision through the learner life-cycle to maximise professional development that lead communities of practice and identity Context HEI Complacency: PT/FL = ‘Cinderella Operation ’

 Applied Professional Studies has been designed with the working practitioner in mind.  It is a flexible programme that will allow the learner the chance to tailor a personalised programme of learning to suit their individual needs and to support current and future career aspirations.  The underlying philosophy of the Award(s) is to facilitate a programme of negotiated learning using their actual working role and employers objectives as the focus of their academic enquiry.  Negotiated learning- practical application of theoretical perspectives in a professional context.  It combines work-based projects and/or taught courses. Verna Rhodes Foundation degree in Applied Professional Studies “The programme has given me the opportunity to develop my career and personal strengths, providing enough flexibility, guidance and support to enable me to enjoy studying while working full-time and raising a family.” Applied Professional Studies: Flexible, Part-time Provision for all Sectors

The following Programme(s) are available through the Applied Professional Studies suite: Undergraduate Programme: The programme is structured over three phases representing two separate but linked ‘stand alone’ awards: Postgraduate Programme: The programme is structured over three phases representing three separate but linked ‘stand alone’ awards: Phase 1: Post Graduate Certificate (Pg.Cert.) Phase 2: Post Graduate Diploma (Pg.Dip.) Phase 3: Master of Arts or Science (M.A. Or M.Sc.) Exit Progress Entry Phase 1: Foundation Degree Award (FDA) Entry Phase 2: Foundation Degree Award (FDA.) Phase 3: Bachelor of Arts or Science (B.A. Or B.Sc.) Entry Exit Progress  We operate in a Higher Education credit based system  Credits are at 4 HE levels; 4, 5, 6, and M 7 (post-graduate) Applied Professional Studies: Flexible, Part-time Provision

In any chosen APS programme the learner can accumulate credit in a number of ways: By attending ‘taught’ courses at the University or Partner Colleges – core and/or optional By claiming credit for courses (or modules) that have been completed at other universities or similar places By claiming credit for learning achieved through work or other appropriate activity By undertaking work-based projects whilst being supervised by us Creating an APS Individualised Programme

 Learners may want to gain new knowledge, expertise and skills by taking one or more taught courses to add to their individualised programme  These are available from across a number of the University’s Faculties, by choosing individual courses from any taught undergraduate (H) or postgraduate (M) level programmes or from our partner college network or accredited employers.  Specialist taught courses may contribute up to 75% of the overall programme of study. Creating an APS Individualised Programme: Taught Courses

 The structure allows the learner to receive academic recognition for learning that has already been achieved, either formally through previous study, or informally within their working environment, which may be able to accelerate their progress through the programme and count towards the final award.  There are two types of accreditation that can be claimed:  Accreditation of Prior Certificated Learning – AP(C)L: Advanced Standing or Credit Exemption  Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning – AP(E)L Creating an APS Individualised Programme: Claiming Credit for Courses or Work-place Experience

 These are “open” courses in which the learner negotiates their own learning intentions either from past or current practice, by designing and implementing a work based project or by a combination of these.  This is done, for example through reflection on your past or current practice or through work based projects that they are undertaking as part of their professional practice.  Candidates will design one or more Negotiated Study(s) to accommodate the work-based learning element of this programme, and these can be 15, 30 or 45 credits. Creating an APS Individualised Programme: Negotiated Study: Work-based Learning Projects

Level 4: Personal Development Planning Level 5: Personal Development Planning Level 6: Learning Agreement Level 7: Learning Agreement Are you seeking accreditation from prior or experiential learning? NoYes APEL &/or APCL Do you want to study taught programmes? Yes No Taught Courses (however, at least 25% must be WB learning such as a Negotiated Learning) Negotiated Study Select the credit structure Select the value of your credits: 15, 30, 45 Credits Creating an APS Individualised Programme

Applied Professional Studies: Communities of Practice Communities of Practice with Applied Professional Studies as a hub for dissemination of knowledge/practices:  The individual professional practitioner  The academic community  Professional communities of practice: Employers and professional bodies

 Cycle of identity development where all people derive knowledge from collectively held conventional knowledge  Knowledge is then internalised, adapted and developed producing new practices  These new practices can be published and observed and drawn back into conventional collective practices  Learning encompasses the highly complex nature of knowledge in use in the context of the situated learner and the community of knowledge and practice that they operate  Tacit dimension of learning - this aspect of learning cannot be easily taught without experience of practice.  Where the programme and/or academics as a community of practice overlap with this they can help the process; be critical, well researched – but also essential to this process is the building of a high quality body of knowledge within the communities Applied Professional Studies: Pedagogical Framework

Partner College Level 4/ 5 : Foundation Degree Award (FDA.) A coordinated multi-stakeholder consortium to deliver learning programme(s), QA & a supporting CPD framework: Partner College Entry Exit Progress Level 6 : Bachelor of Arts or Science (B.A. Or B.Sc.) CWBL QA & CPD Support Level 7 : APS Post Graduate Awards Progress Exit Progression could be onto any UoG Programme or APS Partner College Working in Partnership: A Community of Practice: A Multi-stakeholder Consortuium

Working in Partnership: Employer-Based Professional Accreditation (EBPA)  The Centre for Work-based learning can use the APS framework through its external accreditation service to help build capacity for employers or professional bodies  We can identify opportunities for employers and institutions from most occupational areas to benefit from the accreditation of their training activities to support continuous professional development and life-long learning, with opportunities leading to the APS award at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels Using the Applied Profession Studies shell framework to develop hybrid programmes to support sector specific professional practice, institutional delivery & new qualification awards

Working in Partnership: Supporting Institutional Delivery in Work-based Learning, Access & Widening Participation Using the Applied Profession Studies shell framework to develop hybrid programmes to support sector specific professional practice, institutional delivery & new qualification awards Applied Professional Studies (Facilitating Work-Based Learning) A postgraduate programme for work-based learning practitioners, facilitators & professionals Applied Professional Studies (Access & Widening Participation) A postgraduate programme for access & widening practitioners, facilitators & professionals

Working in Partnership: Promoting sector specific professional practice & new qualification awards – Higher Level Apprenticeships (HLA)  The Centre has a national reputation for developing Higher Apprenticeships and in 2009 worked with large engineering employers and SEMTA to establish a pilot Higher Apprenticeship in Engineering Technology  Using this framework the Centre has additionally developed two further Higher Apprenticeships in Business and Professional Administration and in Sustainable Building  This experience has formed the basis for research outputs on Higher Apprenticeships disseminated widely to government ministers, Sector Skills Councils, RDAs, LEPs, universities and colleges, submitted recent to the Skills Commission Inquiry into 'Technician and Higher Level Skills’  Leading to external funding for the Apprentice Progression Tracking Research Project: Report: Longitudinal Tracking of Advanced Level Apprentice Cohorts Using the Applied Profession Studies shell framework to develop hybrid programmes to support sector specific professional practice, institutional delivery & new qualification awards

Working in Partnership: Higher Level Apprenticeship - FD in Business & Professional Administration (FD BPA) Using the Applied Profession Studies shell framework to develop hybrid programmes to support sector specific professional practice, institutional delivery & new qualification awards

Working in Partnership: Higher Level Apprenticeship - FD in Business & Professional Administration (FD BPA)  Integrates a recognised competence based qualification and a traditional academic qualification providing progression routes to higher academic qualifications  Mapped against the requirements of the Level 4 NVQ Diploma in Business and Administration, accredited by the Institute of Administrative Management (IAM) and approved by the Council for Administration (CfA)

Working in Partnership: Higher Level Apprenticeship - FD in Business & Professional Administration (FD BPA)  Encourage Higher Apprentices and experienced or inexperienced professionals

Questions & Open Discussion: For further information: Salim Jiwa Manager – Centre for Work-based Learning University of Greenwich