Higher Education Funding Council for England
Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals
Council for Industry and Higher Education
Standing Conference of Principals
Department for Education and Employment

Guide 98/46

Promoting vocational lifelong learning:

a guide to good practice in the HE sector

September 1998

Jane Field
Russell Moseley

Foreword and executive summary (read online)

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Foreword from the Chief Executive

This guide encourages higher education institutions (HEIs) to think strategically about the development of vocational lifelong learning (VLL) and to consider how this important activity should be managed and promoted.

In 1994, the HEFCE earmarked £60 million for a four-year initiative to develop continuing vocational education (CVE). Our aim was two-fold: to promote the development of CVE provision, fully reflecting the diverse needs of individuals and employers; and to encourage HEIs to make CVE an integral part of their activities and overall strategy.

In supporting the CVE initiative, we recognised the valuable contribution that higher education makes to the economy. We felt that developing CVE in this way would benefit institutions in terms of cross-fertilisation of activities, in its potential for income generation, and in helping HEIs to develop working relationships across a range of activities with businesses - locally, regionally and nationally. Four years on, the importance attached to lifelong learning, and to developing higher education"s resources to support economic success, has increased still further within Government and funding council policies.

Institutional mission plays an important role in shaping institutions" approaches to provision. The vocational lifelong learning offered by the HE sector is diverse. It includes accredited and non award-bearing programmes; and ranges from the dissemination of leading-edge research, to updating provision for qualified employees, to "second chance" opportunities for adults.

The 1998-99 academic year is the final year of funding for the CVE initiative, and we want to build on the successes of this. We believe that an integrated and strategic approach is essential, not only in offering vocational lifelong learning to business and individuals, but in developing a full range of interactions between HEIs and business. This broader perspective will be reflected in our emerging policy.

This guide will be useful to institutions and practitioners in considering how to maximise opportunities for growth in VLL within an integrated strategy.

Brian Fender CMG
Chief Executive
Higher Education Funding Council for England

Executive summary

The purpose of the report

Vocational lifelong learning (VLL) should be a key component of any higher education institution"s (HEI) strategic plan. The rapidly evolving lifelong learning agenda has been set out in a series of recent policy reports, culminating in the Government paper The Learning Age. This report identifies key issues that institutions must address to ensure the effective promotion of VLL. It emphasises the importance of commitment at an institutional level and the need for a strategic approach to marketing at an operational level; and suggests promotional strategies for a number of core markets.

VLL is broadly defined as that set of activities intended to build on and update individuals" knowledge and skills relating to the world of work. VLL activities - which range from short courses, through longer accredited programmes, consultancy and research, to business clubs, networks and consortia - are known by a variety of names and acronyms. VLL is used throughout this report to emphasise the importance of these activities for HEIs in the context of current debates over policy for lifelong learning and the world of work.

VLL and HEIs

The provision of VLL plays a pivotal role in HEIs" work with business and the community; it is the third core function of universities and colleges along with teaching and research. As the University for Industry and Learning Direct become established, VLL opportunities developed by HEIs will make a significant contribution to the sector"s engagement with the new initiatives.

Although HEIs currently undertake a great deal of VLL, there is considerable scope for expansion. HEIs can offer unique selling points to prospective customers: expertise which is frequently underpinned by leading-edge research; the ability to accredit VLL provision within the context of a robust, national system of quality assurance; the growing use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance the flexibility of provision; and experience of working with a broad range of adult learners, backed by advice and guidance services.

In turn, engaging with VLL offers much to HEIs: in some markets it can be a significant revenue-earning activity; it can lead to longer-term relationships with companies which bring benefits in terms of research opportunities; and it can make an important contribution to strengthening HEIs" links with their local and regional communities.

Institutional commitment

Institutional policy must be clear if VLL is to be promoted effectively. A strategic approach to VLL requires the HEI to have a clear understanding of the external environment within which it operates, knowledge of those markets in which it could or should compete, and recognition of its own internal strengths and areas of expertise. The institution also needs to provide resources to enable effective marketing and delivery of VLL. A strategic approach involves matching, and possibly developing, internal strengths with identified external needs in light of the wider goals which inform the HEI"s particular identity and mission.

A reference to VLL in an HEI"s mission statement may be important symbolically, but rhetoric must be reflected in reality: institutional commitment is a pre-requisite for the effective promotion of VLL. This commitment should be demonstrated in appropriate organisational arrangements for VLL, and in policies for the employment and development of staff involved in the promotion and delivery of VLL. Furthermore, HEIs should consider VLL in a broad financial context, acknowledging that not all VLL activities will be profitable and that there are reasons other than financial gain for institutional involvement in this area. Institutional commitment requires HEIs to avoid "short termism" which has characterised much VLL in the past, and to adopt a more strategic, longer-term approach to this work.

The customer perspective

The message from customers - existing and potential - is clear: HEIs must be flexible in the ways they make VLL available, and they should find out what customers want rather than simply offer existing products. Negotiations over VLL provision should be conducted by professional staff with the authority to reach agreement on behalf of their institution. HEIs should seek to provide a single point of contact for all VLL and work-related enquiries, with appropriate internal structures to respond.

Marketing VLL

To meet these needs HEIs must think strategically at both policy and operational levels. The latter requires an understanding of the basic elements of a marketing plan - matching the HEI"s strengths and expertise to its VLL markets through:

• internal audits and inventories

• gaining intelligence about markets through market research

• working in partnership with customers and intermediaries such as TECs and professional bodies.

The "marketing mix" provides a framework with which to put strategy into practice: the importance of "product, place, price and promotion" must be recognised if VLL is to be effectively marketed. Above all, the needs and expectations of new and different markets must be understood. ICT offers challenges and possibilities for the promotion of VLL and its flexible delivery. HEIs should pursue opportunities to work in partnership with the University for Industry and develop appropriate materials to meet the growing interest in ICT-based learning.

Evaluation should be a key element of VLL promotion. Evaluation has grown in importance, partly because employers increasingly view training as an investment in human resources, and partly because of the emphasis on evaluation within the Investors in People standard. VLL professionals have a role to play in encouraging evaluation, paying particular attention to how new knowledge and skills may be effectively transferred to the workplace.

Promoting VLL to different markets

Each market requires a different promotional strategy. The report discusses a number of markets which were identified as particularly important, makes key recommendations and gives examples of good practice for each. The markets addressed are:

• large firms

• small and medium enterprises (SMEs)

• the public sector

• professional bodies

• individuals

• the unemployed and socially excluded.

Appropriate strategies should be adopted for each market, but a number of key findings are relevant to all aspects of promoting lifelong learning for the workplace. Of paramount importance is customer care - without which other promotional activity will be ineffective. From initial enquiry to evaluating the completed activity, the customer must be the primary focus.

Partnership

One of the most important ways of ensuring a customer focus is to work in partnership. Partnership is a recurrent theme in the report. Partnerships can be built between HEIs and employers, professional bodies, intermediaries (such as TECs and government departments), further education colleges, and other HEIs. Partnerships can provide market intelligence and a means by which customer needs and preferences can be addressed. Although the creation of partnerships requires a significant input of time, they can play a major role within the overall marketing strategy. Institutions should acknowledge and support the time commitment of staff involved in networking and partnership activities.

When appropriate a "relationship marketing" strategy should be adopted, as a particularly robust form of partnership, enabling longer-term, developmental relationships between HEIs and their VLL customers. In this way VLL becomes an integral element of any institution"s external relations strategy. By meeting the needs of employers, HEIs are building valuable relationships with a key group of opinion formers, as well as contributing to regional and national economic development and social well-being.