Employer support for part-time
study in higher education
Geoff Mason
National Institute of Economic and Social Research,
London
HECSU Futuretrack Conference,
Manchester,
7 November 2012
Arguments in favour of employer
support for PT study in HE
• Potentially important means of developing high-level
skills….
• and increasing supply of highly-educated people with
‘employability skills’
• Benefits from individuals’ willingness to invest own time
and effort in study, minimising time off work
• Employer support for PT college study widespread in US
• So why are there not more UK employers providing
support for PT study?
Part-time HE students aiming for First
degree, Foundation degree or Higher
National qualifications
Manufacturing
Construction
Other production
industries (b)
Wholesale and retail
Hotels and restaurants
Transport, storage and
communications
Financial services
Business services
Other private services (c)
Public administration
Education
Health and social work
Total
Part-time students
as % of total
employment
0.4
0.7
% of part-time
students
7
9
0.2
0.3
0.5
1
7
3
0.4
0.4
0.8
0.4
1.1
1.0
1.3
0.7
4
3
14
4
12
13
25
100
Source: Labour Force Survey 2008 (Four-quarter average)
HECSU/BIS surveys of employers
of part-time HE students
• PT Student survey, 2008
• 3288 PT students in employment, of whom:
• 908 supplied contact details for employers
•
•
•
•
Employer survey, 2009
294 completed and usable interviews
180 refused participation
85% of employers in sample aware of at least one
employee studying part-time in HE
• Follow-up employer survey, 2011
• 145 completed and usable interviews
Employers Sample, 2009
A. Employment
size-group:
1-9
10-24
25 – 49
50 – 99
100 – 199
200 – 499
500-999
1000+
Don't know
Total
% of
employers
10
16
14
11
9
12
8
19
1
100
(n=294)
B. Sector:
Manufacturing, utilities, construction
Professional, scientific and technical
services
Public administration
Education
Health
Social work
Other services
Sector not known
Total
% of
employers
14
7
16
33
5
14
9
2
100
2009 Employer Survey:
Main findings (1)
• 80% of employers provided full or partial support with
course fees for part-time student employees
• Very supportive group of employers – not representative
of employers in the wider economy
• Majority of organisations report improvements in staff
skills, knowledge and performance from part-time HE
study, especially:
– Job-related skills, practical skills communication skills
– Plus increased confidence, better prepared for next
role in organisation, more proactive
2009 Employer Survey:
Main findings (2)
• In many cases employers respond to individual initiative
for study, showing willingness to support staff
development
• Large majority of employers able to impose strict
conditions on fee support
– Courses typically must be work-related
– Employees obliged to pay back fees if leave
organisation within certain time
• Employers value combination of job-specific experience
and high-level skills gained through employees
undertaking PT study in HE
So why don’t more UK employers
support part-time HE study?
• Not all employers have high-level skill requirements or
recognise the need for this level of skills
• Employers have many other options for meeting high-level
skill needs, eg, internal training provision, private sector
training providers – some prefer to use HE providers only
for short training courses
• Many employers still prefer to recruit Bachelor degree
graduates educated at state and individual expense
• Disappointing given willingness of so many individuals to
self-invest in PT study in HE
Follow-up survey, 2011:
Effects of recession on employer
support with course fees
Never
existed
before or
No
after
Decrease Increase change recession
% of employers
First degrees
25
0
70
5
Foundation degrees
21
2
72
6
Higher Nationals
24
2
70
4
Total
n=
100
100
100
86
54
51
Follow-up survey, 2011:
Likely impact on employer support of
higher tuition fees in HE
Provide full Provide partial
support with support with
fees
fees
% of employers
First degrees (n=93)
Less likely
More likely
No change
Never have provided fee support
Total
43
1
38
18
100
20
18
42
19
100
Total
47
2
39
13
100
27
19
40
13
100
Total
43
5
38
14
100
22
22
40
16
100
Foundation degrees (n=62)
Less likely
More likely
No change
Never have provided fee support
Higher Nationals (n=63)
Less likely
More likely
No change
Never have provided fee support
Follow-up survey, 2011
• ‘We’re already starting to [support fewer people]…. It’s
already gone down substantially from where it was before,
so you know there will probably still be… 10 or 12 [next
year]….. but a year ago it would have been 20 or more, but
it’s already going down, it’s more to do with the economic
situation here than to do with funding or fees’
[Manufacturing, Utilities, Construction, 250 – 499
employees]
• ‘I think we’re inevitably going to have to look at [fee
support] because I mean the money’s just not available
and, you know, if we’re not recruiting qualified people, then
we’re not going to be sending so many unqualified people
to college’
[Professional, scientific and technical services, 100-199
employees]
Employers’ willingness to take on schoolleavers to study part-time for HE qualifications
while receiving work-based training
Positive factors:
• Ability to develop staff with better job- and firm-specific
skills and knowledge
• Improved staff retention
• Prepare for future without currently ageing employees
• Support for young people in general
Negative factors:
• HE courses not sufficiently relevant or cost-effective
• Prefer to train existing staff
• Limited resources to supervise trainees
• Few vacancies in prospect
Assessment
• Many positive reasons for employers to support
employees to study part-time in HE
• But only minority of employers across whole economy
provide this kind of support
• Not all employers have high-level skill requirements or
recognise the need for this level of skills
• Employers have many other options for meeting high-level
skill needs, eg, internal training provision, private sector
training providers
• Many employers still prefer to recruit Bachelor degree
graduates educated at state and individual expense
• Even previously supportive employers showing signs of
being deterred by increases in HE tuition fees and weak
economic growth prospects