» An overviewA Higher National Diploma (HND) is a work-related course provided by higher and further education colleges. HNDs are available in a wide range of subject areas and can be used as a route into employment, a related degree course or as a stepping stone to gaining professional status. Applying for a degree-level qualification remains a popular choice for HND diplomates, and many progress on to the second or even third year of a degree course in a related topic. However, employment is also one of the main pathways open to HND holders and statistics over the past few years has shown that significant numbers are combining employment with study. HND courses have a high vocational content where the emphasis is on applying knowledge to effective use in a work context, and thus, all HND courses involve work experience. They are also designed to offer flexibility and can be studied part-time, full-time, as a sandwich course or by distance learning. A HND takes two years to complete if studied full-time. Foundation degrees were introduced in 2001, the only new higher education qualification to be introduced in England in 25 years. A foundation degree is an employment related higher education qualification designed in conjunction with employers to meet the demand for higher technical and associate professional skills. Foundation degrees have been designed to be flexible and accessible and so can be studied in a variety of ways: full-time, part-time, through distance learning and via the internet. This means that study can also be fitted in around employment. Entry qualifications are also flexible to support widening participation and relevant work experience is taken into account when applying for a course. Foundation degrees provide professional development in a broad range of vocational areas and enable you to keep your options open as regards to professional development or further study. A full-time foundation degree should take two years to complete or three to four years if studied part-time or by flexible learning whilst working. On successful completion, there is the option to progress on to an honours degree with a further 12 to 15 months of study. » The growth of foundation degreesIn 2005/6 there were a total of 14,230 HND and foundation degree qualifiers (a rise of 12.5% on the previous year when it was 12,645). Of this total, 7,915 (55.6%) undertook foundation degrees, which is an increase on the previous year when it was 5,090 (40.3% of the total number of foundation degree and HND qualifiers). Figures from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) show that the numbers of foundation degree students have increased significantly since 2001/2 when there were only 4,320 students enrolled. By 2006/7 almost 61,000 students were studying for a foundation degree (almost 34,000 on a full-time basis) and this has occurred against a background of declining numbers of students studying towards HNDs and HNCs. » Destinations and types of workDestinations in this section of What Do Graduates Do? are based on those who responded to the 2005/06 Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey - a total of 11,565 HND and foundation degree qualifiers took part in it . Six months following graduation, 30.5% of this cohort were in employment and 61.3% were engaged in further study - either as a sole activity (37.6%) or combined with work (23.7%), representing a rise of almost two percentage points on the previous year. The figure of 3.1% unemployed remains well below the average figure for all first degree graduates and has fallen since the previous year when it was 3.7%. 6,490 (56.1%) of the respondents were foundation degree qualifiers. The majority of these who undertook further study progressed on to the third year of an honours degree, thus following the established pattern of HND diplomates. The popularity of further study as an option was also confirmed in a survey of 639 foundation degree students carried out by Chris Jackson and Eddie Tunnah for the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) in 2005. The study found that a large majority (83%) of those surveyed confirmed that they wanted to progress on to an honours degree on completion of their studies. The employment destinations of HND and foundation degree respondents mirror the previous year’s survey with a relatively large percentage (11.6%) working within the commercial, industrial and public sector management fields six months after graduation. » TrendsThe majority of HND and foundation degree qualifiers completed courses in engineering and technology, business and administrative studies, and creative arts and design. According to HEFCE, in 2004-05, education, creative arts and business accounted for almost half (47%) of foundation degree entrants. The 27.5% year-on-year rise in the number of foundation degree enrolments at UK higher education institutions in 2006/7 confirm that this qualification is growing in popularity. In 2006/7 there was also a substantial year-on-year growth (43.4%) in part-time foundation degree provision, although the majority of students - 58% - were in full-time study. The rise in the number of foundation degree entrants may also be attributed to the increasing choice of courses and their flexibility and accessibility. Specialist courses have been created to specifically meet the skills needs of employers - Foundation Degree Forward reported that as of December 2006, in addition to the 2,152 programmes already running, there are over 700 foundation degree courses under development. According to the Foundation Degree Task Force report to Ministers in 2004, the aim is to achieve 100,000 foundation degree places by 2010. » ReferencesFoundation Degrees: key statistics 2001-02 to 2006-07, the Higher Education Funding Council in England (HEFCE), 2007. The Information, Advice and Guidance Needs of Foundation Degree Students, The Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS), 2005. Foundation Degree Task Force report to Ministers, Department for Education and Skills, September 2004. » Contacts and resourcesWebsitesResources on this siteGeneral links» Case StudiesKate - HND Applied Chemistry. Equine nutritionist Kate is an equine nutritionist, working for a worldwide supplier of equine feed supplements and care products. After her HND, Kate moved onto a BSc in Equine Science. She was keen to find a job that made use of her degree subject and as her father worked as an animal nutritionist with cows and sheep, this attracted her to the role. Kate had some experience of working in laboratories prior to gaining her employment. Kate initially applied for a sales representative job, believing this to be a 'foot in the door'. Kate says 'they obviously felt my skills would be better used elsewhere and created the role of equine nutritionist for me. Previously all their technical input was done by the vet and outside consultants.' Kate's day-to-day tasks include training, writing articles for magazines, developing new products and altering existing formulas (both alone and with company vets), attending events such as shows/store evenings and giving talks to riding clubs. A large part of her role is giving advice to consumers. 'I deal with most email enquiries and still do some freephone enquiries. I'm also the 'back up' for any advice that our advisers or reps don't feel they can answer.' Kate also works with British riding teams, discussing product requirements with riders and team vets. She also has to keep up to date with legal aspects of the job such as European legislation regarding animal nutrition. For Kate, the best part of her job is the variety of tasks and the contact with consumers, particularly when an owner contacts her to say how much better their horse is as a result of her input. Kate really enjoys her job, although she would like to see more work done alongside vets; she believes that clinical nutrition has as much a role to play in the veterinary world as it currently does in human medicine. Ruth - HND Business Information Technology. Staff development adviser The challenge of motivating and inspiring people to develop their skills and abilities was one of the main reasons why Ruth initially considered a career in training. In her previous job as an IT technician, she gained an invaluable range of skills which have been transferable to her new role. Her role includes the development and delivery of IT inductions for new starters. This often involves a training needs analysis which leads to further IT training/coaching as required. She has also devised a training programme to ensure that all staff can effectively use a newly implemented database system that has been adopted by every department of her organisation. This led her to design a variety of individual training plans to suit these various departments. She also recruits and trains the potential trainers, and has rolled out a training strategy which involved continual delivery on a daily basis for a number of weeks. Ruth's HND enabled her to develop skills and acquire experience in the following areas: organisation and time management, meeting deadlines, working under pressure, producing reports, database design and implementation and advanced skills in MS Office Suite. In addition, by studying for the Certificate in Training Practice (CTP) (a Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) qualification), Ruth was able to gain an insight into the theoretical basis of training which has impacted upon her work immensely. Ruth's role has developed to cover all aspects of training and she is now responsible for over 300 training events per year. She has direct responsibility for probation training, the appraisal procedure, applications for external training, the analysis and development of staff qualifications, and the in-house mentoring and peer support schemes. She is also responsible for the staff development budget. Ruth particularly enjoys working with people and gains tremendous satisfaction from seeing people develop and improve as a result of her work. In the future she would like to continue to acquire new skills and responsibilities, initiate new training ideas and strategies, and ultimately move into a more senior role.
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