HE in FE post Browne Review

Last week the HE in FE Subject Centre Network got together in London. Understandably quite a lot of our discussion centered on the Browne Report and its implications and signposts for HE delivered in Further Education Colleges. The Association of Colleges AoC) notes that
39% of those entering higher education are College students.168,000 students study higher education in a College, generally on a part-time basis around work or family commitments. College higher education students are generally older than typical university students and often have vocational, rather than academic, qualifications.
(http://www.aoc.co.uk/)
Further Education Colleges (FECs) can offer HE through funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in partnership with a university and provide HE opportunities for many students who are either unable to or don't wish to study away from their home area. HE in FE plays an important role in widening participation and access to HE allowing many, particularly adult learners to improve their skills and employment prospects. Many students undertaking HE in FE are only able to study part-time and typically study alongside part-time employment and family commitments.
The Browne Review recommends new support for the costs of learning for part-time students and an increase in support for living costs for students from low income backgrounds. HE in FE providers, notably Stella Mbubaegbu, Principal of Highbury College, Portsmouth see this support as grounds for optimism for the future of HE in FE and the widening participation agenda. Foundation Degree programmes which make up a significant part of the HE in FE landscape offer many benefits beyond affordability as Highbury's Principal observes and should be acknowledged by e.g. ensuring that the proposed 10% increase in the number of HE places recommended by Lord Browne should go to FECs. Foundation Degrees and associated 'top up years' at partner universities or within the FEC itself should continue to offer a real alternative to students who will, possibly increasingly be looking for a lower-cost alternative to university study.
As the 'employability agenda' begins to figure ever higher in the concerns of HE institutions and amongst financially-astute learners it is timely to celebrate the achievements and opportunities provided by the HE in FE sector. Post-Browne part-time students would benefit from the recommended abolition of up-front course fees affording them parity with full-timers and allowing them to continue working alongside their studies and manage often restrictive budgets more easily.
Teachers working within mixed economy practice or solely delivering HE in FE might see grounds for optimism post-Browne for the continuation and sustainability of their work in this important sector and welcome potentially greater opportunities and choices for their students.