Preliminary Findings: The role of the Foundation Degree (FD) in enabling students to achieve work place success or progression

Research into the impact of FD study on a student’s opportunities to progress at work has been of continuing interest to the team. Another driver for this area is as a response to frequent questions from both current students and potential students at interview about the careers options that are available after study. While a number of students increasingly use the Foundation Degree to access nursing, staff are aware that this is not the only career destination of choice. Staff are keen to have a more comprehensive overview of the patterns of career choices and how the experience of the FD course has impacted those.
Aim and Objectives:
To explore perceptions around the impact of FD study on the career prospects of previous University of Worcester Foundation Degree (FD) students who graduated prior to 2014 and who are not currently studying a top-up degree at this Institution.
Objectives:
•To record the current work/study destinations of students from previous FD cohorts.
•To explore the narrative accounts of the impact of choosing Foundation Degree study on career aspiration and achievement.
•To provide teaching staff and University of Worcester (UW) Communications/Marketing with data to inform current and prospective students about the potential benefits to their career of undertaking a Foundation Degree at the University of Worcester.
•To inform further developments of the Learning and Teaching curriculum.

Findings: Students need to be enabled to take ownership of their learning and how to work together with staff to achieve this by recognising skills and attributes they bring to the course. Therefore, an area for staff development is improving mechanisms to support students by scaffolding their learning without creating dependency.