Widening participation in the Black Country

In this article from the Spring 2001 issue of Directions Peter Handley (University of Wolverhampton), describes the community entry programme in operation in the Black Country.

Widening participation programmes have a real contribution to make in meeting the challenge of providing equal opportunities for all to enter higher education and to enjoy the advantages that it brings. Such programmes must be positive in approach. They must facilitate informed decision taking at every stage, prepare participants properly for their chosen higher education course and provide necessary support.

A Times leader on 27 December 2000 stated “…the whole [university] sector is being asked to operate on the assumption that anyone remotely interested in pursuing a degree course may do so.” This surely provokes the response that such a situation is desirable. The proviso must be that entrants are made aware of what will be expected of them, that they have the commitment and are given the necessary skills training.

To put it more directly, why should people be denied opportunity because they do not have the conventional academic profile which used to be demanded of university entrants? There are many possible reasons why people reach the age at which they wish to consider taking a degree course without having any certificated qualifications. These reasons may have their origins in a variety of economic, social and cultural factors and so it is important to remember that the absence of past academic achievement is very rarely an indicator of lack of ability or intelligence.

It was with such considerations in mind that the University of Wolverhampton with its partner institutions in further education and in the community made a successful bid for HEFCE funding to develop and implement a community entry programme.

The programme covers a large geographical area, with a population of about one and a quarter million, known as the Black Country. It roughly comprises Wolverhampton, Dudley, Walsall and Sandwell. The Wolverhampton proposal stated that: “the low levels of aspiration and achievement manifest themselves in skill shortages, unemployment and in low paid jobs with all the attendant problems of poor housing, ill health and social exclusion.” The evidence of deprivation is clearly available and the need to address it is real and urgent. The community entry programme is one response.

It will seek to assist those who have not, for whatever reason, already found their way onto an existing access programme and who are unaware of the opportunities available to them. Target groups identified in the proposal document include unemployed young males, both white and Afro-Caribbean.

Many did not enjoy their experience of school and left with few, if any, qualifications. The heavy and light engineering industries which had traditionally provided their families with skilled jobs in their own localities have largely gone. At one time it was fairly easy to obtain employment for life: not any more. This has led to a loss of confidence for both the individual and for the local communities. Those whose natural or conditioned inclination was to skilled or unskilled work near home do not automatically respond to its loss by turning to further or higher education.

The programme, which has been validated by the National Open College Network, will make provision for entry to higher education in general, but at present the focus is on two pilot subject areas, one of which is law. Issues relating to law and criminal justice touch the lives of many of individuals who the programme is intended to target. Many live in areas where there is a high level of criminal activity and consequent victimisation. Many, too, have views about the causation of offending and about the way in which society through its various agencies responds to the phenomenon. In short, it is a subject that is relevant and of interest to the local population. There is choice, since the School of Legal Studies offers undergraduate degrees in criminal justice and in human rights as well as in law, and so the students should be able to find a course to match their individual interests.

Law is also seen as being worth pursuing as a career. It is regarded as a being a respectable and well rewarded occupation but, in addition, one which affords the opportunity to do some good in the community. For those who sense injustice but who are not presently empowered to address it, pursuing a course in law with a view to qualifying as a lawyer is an attractive proposition. With this in mind it was decided to use law as a vehicle to launch the programme.

Given that today many universities have relaxed their entry requirements and that there are many access programmes already available in a variety of further education institutions, the question of whether or not there is a need for another widening participation programme must be answered. The answer lies, in part, in what the programme offers that traditional access courses may not offer. It is not intended to replace access: if access seems appropriate for a particular student then he or she will be guided towards it. Access, however, as has been suggested earlier, is not the answer for everyone, and it is not for nothing that the widening participation programme is also known as the community entry programme. The intention is for it to be delivered by the university’s partners in further education in the local action centres and other centres that exist in the Black Country. These centres are well used and are flourishing. They present few barriers because they are convenient and perceived as being in the ownership of the local communities.

The programme offers an individually tailored plan, local delivery, the support of a personal learning adviser and the opportunity to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed on a degree programme. In particular, the programme aims to give the students sufficient self confidence to realise their potential. The university and the community, too, will gain by having students and, in due course, lawyers who have followed the community entry programme to successful conclusion. They may well bring with them a diversity of experience which will inform and influence their work and which everyone should benefit from sharing.

Last Modified: 4 June 2010