» An overviewA Higher National Diploma (HND) is a work-related course provided by higher and further education colleges. A HND takes two years to complete if studied full-time, but opportunities to study part-time are also available. HNDs are available in a wide range of subject areas and can be used as a route into employment or further study. Applying for a degree-level qualification remains one of the most popular choices for HND diplomates, with many progressing on to the second year of a degree course in a related topic. Foundation degrees were introduced in 2001 and are a work-related higher education qualification designed in conjunction with employers to meet the demand for higher technical and associate professional skills. They can be studied in a variety of ways (full-time, part-time, through distance learning and via the internet) which means that study can also be fitted in around employment. Over 24,000 students have registered on foundation degrees to date. Currently there are over 1,000 foundation courses covering a wide range of subjects and it is expected that there will be over 2,000 by 2006. A full-time foundation degree should take two years to complete or three to four years if studied part-time. On successful completion of the foundation degree, there is the option to progress on to a first degree with a further 12 to 15 months of study. » Destinations and types of workIn 2003/4, there were a total of 11,630 HND and foundation degree completers. 2,615 of these (22.5%) undertook foundation degrees. This was a significant rise since 2002/3 when there were only 780 foundation degree completers and it is expected that the numbers will grow year on year. According to the Foundation Degree Prospectus, "Foundation Degrees will build upon the best of the existing two year HE programmes and it is expected that over time the foundation degree will become the dominant qualification at this level”. Destinations in this section of What Do Graduates Do? are based on those who responded to the 2003/04 Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey - a total of 9,380 HND and foundation degree completers. Of this number, 2,020 (21.6%) undertook foundation degrees. Six months following graduation, 61% of HND and foundation degree qualifiers were engaged in further study, either as a sole activity (42.2%) or combined with work (18.8%), and 30.4% were in employment alone (see Table 1). These figures are very similar to the previous year’s. The percentage unemployed, at 3.6%, remains well below the average figure for all first degree graduates (6.1%). Table 1. The first destinations of diplomates from Higher National Diploma and foundation degree courses, from 2004. | Numbers graduating (survey respondents) | Entering employment (%) | Entering further study/training (%) | Working and studying (%) | Unemployed at time of survey (%) | Other (%) |
|---|
| HND and FD | 9,380 | 30.4 | 42.2 | 18.8 | 3.6 | 5.0 | | All first degrees | 204,165 | 62.7 | 14.1 | 9.3 | 6.1 | 8.8 |
The DLHE survey also reveals that of the 2,020 foundation degree graduates whose destinations were known, 34.9% were in employment and 57.1% were engaged in further study either as a sole activity or combined with work. The majority of those undertaking further study progressed on to the third year of an honours degree, thus following the established pattern of HND Diplomates. The popularity of this option was also confirmed in a survey of a sample of foundation degree students (639) carried out by Chris Jackson and Eddie Tunnah for the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) in 2005. This 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. Six months following graduation, a relatively large number of HND and foundation degree qualifiers (9.8%) were working as commercial, industrial and public sector managers. According to the UK Graduate Careers Survey 2005 by High Fliers Research, the public sector is a popular career choice with over a quarter of the 16,000 HE finalists surveyed indicating they had applied or were going to apply for opportunities within this area. » TrendsThe majority of qualifiers completed courses in engineering and technology, business and administrative studies, and creative arts and design. However, more recently foundation degree courses have been developed in the areas of education, health care, management, public sector administration and retail logistics. Some specialised courses have also been created to specifically meet the skills needs of employers. In 2003/4 the subject area with the highest number of first year foundation degree entrants was education (4,425). This has more than doubled from 2002/3 when the number was 1,750. The most popular HND subject remains business and administrative studies although the number of new entrants have fallen from 5,635 in 2002/3 to 4,545 in 2003/4. Foundation degrees offer flexibility in terms of access and study, evident in the fact that only 49.3% of foundation degree students studied full-time, compared with the majority of HND students (84.6%). In addition, 72.8% of foundation degree students were aged over 21 whilst the majority of HND students were aged 20 and under. The 61.6% rise in the number of foundation degree entrants in 2003/4, as indicated in statistics released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), proves that this qualification is growing in popularity. In contrast, numbers of HND entrants fell by 19.6%. According to the Foundation Degree Task Force report to Ministers in 2004, the aim is to achieve 100,000 foundation degree places by 2010. » Contacts and resourcesWebsitesResources on this siteGeneral links
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