Work-based higher education and skill utilisation, examining the interaction between the academy and the workplace

In the UK, as elsewhere, employers are urged to invest in workforce development to increase competitiveness (DfEE 2005; DIUS 2007). Policy makers have argued that demographics in the UK require the existing workforce to be ‘up-skilled’ through part-time and work-based learning (WBL) including via new vocationally-based foundation degrees (FDs). However, in a climate of financial constraint, higher education (HE) is increasingly viewed as an investment in the skills of the workforce or individual, raising questions regarding the effectiveness of that investment - particularly given evidence that increasing the supply of HE level skills may not be sufficient to improve an organisation’s productivity and performance (Scottish Government 2008). Recent analyses recognise that demand for new skills, deriving from work design and opportunities to deploy skills are critical factors. Consequently, we need greater understanding of the relationship between learning practices, the context of the workplace and the potential role of HE WBL in skills utilisation. Public sector workforce development in England has been shaped by the ‘modernisation’ agenda resulting in significant shifts in workforce organisation and the creation of many new ‘intermediate’ roles (Edmond and Price 2009). In this paper, we address the conference theme of ‘Learning Theory, Skills and Work’ and consider Cultural Historical Activity Theory in examining the relationship between HE WBL programmes, individual learner/worker agency and developing professional identities and work organisation and skill utilisation. We argue that a more nuanced understanding of the potential of HE WBL practices to support skill utilisation in the workplace is needed to critically examine policy assumptions. Drawing on public sector examples, we suggest that HE WBL has the potential to be instrumental in shaping identities at work and can have a distinctive role to play in mediating social practices in the workplace to support demand for skills and hence skill utilisation

Work-based and work-related learning in Higher National Certificates and Diplomas in Scotland and Foundation Degrees in England: a comparative study: final report

This final report draws on findings from the four stages of a comparative study of Higher National Certificates/Diplomas (HNC/Ds) in Scotland and Foundation Degrees (FDs) in England that was undertaken jointly by researchers in the Centre for Research in Lifelong Learning (CRLL) at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) and the Open University (OU). The overall study has examined and explored the following issues: the demand drivers and how far they differ in both countries; the differing policy and funding frameworks in place in Scotland and England; the different types of provision which have emerged and the roles of different stakeholders in shaping this provision; the consequences of these models for the experiences of the learners involved; and progression of students into further study or employment

The meaning of HE in developing professional identities: some reflections on workbased foundation degrees and skill utilisation

In a climate of financial constraint there is increasing pressure on HE to justify its draw on the public purse. Viewing HE as investment in raising the skill level of the workforce raises the question of the effectiveness of that investment and understanding effective skill utilisation is therefore critical. In this paper, the authors argue that the relationship between experience, education and skill utilisation is more complex than notions of skill acquisition suggest and skill utilisation depends not on the ‘possession’ of skills but on the dynamic interaction through social practices between individual factors and the social context. Drawing on empirical work in the context of part‐time Foundation Degrees the authors report on how HE can be instrumental in shaping and transforming identities at work and argue for the need to research the role of HE in mediating social practices in the workplace to support skill utilisation

Students’ responses to theory: An FD case study

This paper will report on a small qualitative case study which explored the professional formation of students on a work-based learning course. These students were studying part-time to become professionally qualified youth workers and were already working or volunteering in the field. Drawing on interviews with students and their employers nine months after completion of the WBL course we will map some of the ways in which they consider participation has influenced their understanding of the field and their approach to their work. Contrary to expectations, our own and those in the professional literature, we found that students placed considerable value on the contribution of theory. In some cases this had led to significant changes in perspective, leading them to question their own practices and those of colleagues. While some had encountered resistance others had the autonomy to change their practices during and after the course

Researching the Implementation of Work-based Learning within Higher Education: Questioning Collusion and Resistance

This paper develops a framework for characterising the range of work-based learning practices within higher education. It suggests some directions for research in the context of competing discourses

Really useful qualifications and learning? Exploring the policy effects of new sub-bachelors degree qualifications

The symposium paper addresses the conference theme of the relationship between policy, practice and research by critically examining policy discourse in lifelong learning and the role of research in understanding policy effects. Empirical and theoretical research on the rationale and practice of examples of short cycle HE including sub-bachelors degree level qualifications, such as Higher National Certificates and Diplomas and Foundation Degrees are the focus

Contributions to the theory of factorized groups

In chapter 1 we begin by describing certain group theoretical concepts which appear during the course of this thesis. We also supply a brief survey of results concerning factorized groups, relating them to our investigations. In chapter 2, section 2.2, we consider groups which possess a triple factorization. We show that if a Cernikov group is factorized by three nilpotent subgroups it is itself nilpotent. It is then possible to generalize this result to a wider class of infinite groups, denoted by Ǽ In section 2.3 we continue this theme by examining groups which have a triple factorization by three abelian subgroups. If such a group has finite abelian total rank then it must be nilpotent. In section 2.4 we investigate the circumstances under which a subgroup inherits the factorization of the group. We show that if a Cernikov group is factorized by two abelian subgroups, then its Fitting subgroup factorizes. Once again this result holds for the class Ǽ, furthermore we are able to show that the Hirsch-Plotkiu radical also factorizes. Chapter 3 examines this question in relation to the formation subgroups of a group. Let § denote a formation of finite soluble groups as defined in section 3.1. We begin by reviewing the existence and behaviour of the L§ -covering subgroups and L§ -normalizers of a periodic (LŊ)Ø-group. Then, by taking § to be the formation of finite nilpotent groups, we prove that, if such a group is factorized by two nilpotent subgroups, then there is an L§ -covering subgroup which also factorizes. By specializing to Cernikov groups we are able to show that the above holds for an arbitrary saturated formation §. In the final chapter of this thesis we consider the situation where the product of two abelian subgroups of a group G is not itself a group. We then examine a subgroup M of G which lies in the product set. By imposing extra conditions we are able to produce some bounds on the exponent of M in terms of those of the factors. Lastly we show that if the torsion-free nilpotent group G is generated by two infinite cyclic subgroups then a subgroup which lies in their product is abelian

Myocardial infarction and stroke subsequent to urinary tract infection (MISSOURI): protocol for a self-controlled case series using linked electronic health records

Introduction: There is increasing interest in the relationship between acute infections and acute cardiovascular events. Most previous research has focused on understanding whether the risk of acute cardiovascular events increases following a respiratory tract infection. The relationship between urinary tract infections (UTIs) and acute cardiovascular events is less well studied. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine whether there is a causal relationship between UTI and acute myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke. Methods and analysis: We will undertake a self-controlled case series study using linked anonymised general practice, hospital admission and microbiology data held within the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank. Self-controlled case series is a relatively novel study design where individuals act as their own controls, thereby inherently controlling for time-invariant confounders. Only individuals who experience an exposure and outcome of interest are included. We will identify individuals in the SAIL Databank who have a hospital admission record for acute MI or stroke during the study period of 2010–2020. Individuals will need to be aged 30–100 during the study period and be Welsh residents for inclusion. UTI will be identified using general practice, microbiology and hospital admissions data. We will calculate the incidence of MI and stroke in predefined risk periods following an UTI and in ‘baseline’ periods (without UTI exposure) and use conditional Poisson regression models to derive incidence rate ratios. Ethics and dissemination: Data access, research permissions and approvals have been obtained from the SAIL independent Information Governance Review Panel, project number 0972. Findings will be disseminated through conferences, blogs, social media threads and peer-reviewed journals. Results will be of interest internationally to primary and secondary care clinicians who manage UTIs and may inform future clinical trials of preventative therapy

Large-scale analysis of association between LRP5 and LRP6 variants and osteoporosis

CONTEXT: Mutations in the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5 (LRP5) gene cause rare syndromes characterized by altered bone mineral density (BMD). More common LRP5 variants may affect osteoporosis risk in the general population.OBJECTIVE: To generate large-scale evidence on whether 2 common variants of LRP5 (Val667Met, Ala1330Val) and 1 variant of LRP6 (Ile1062Val) are associated with BMD and fracture risk.DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective, multicenter, collaborative study of individual-level data on 37,534 individuals from 18 participating teams in Europe and North America. Data were collected between September 2004 and January 2007; analysis of the collected data was performed between February and May 2007. Bone mineral density was assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Fractures were identified via questionnaire, medical records, or radiographic documentation; incident fracture data were available for some cohorts, ascertained via routine surveillance methods, including radiographic examination for vertebral fractures.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Bone mineral density of the lumbar spine and femoral neck; prevalence of all fractures and vertebral fractures.RESULTS: The Met667 allele of LRP5 was associated with reduced lumbar spine BMD (n = 25,052 [number of participants with available data]; 20-mg/cm2 lower BMD per Met667 allele copy; P = 3.3 x 10(-8)), as was the Val1330 allele (n = 24,812; 14-mg/cm2 lower BMD per Val1330 copy; P = 2.6 x 10(-9)). Similar effects were observed for femoral neck BMD, with a decrease of 11 mg/cm2 (P = 3.8 x 10(-5)) and 8 mg/cm2 (P = 5.0 x 10(-6)) for the Met667 and Val1330 alleles, respectively (n = 25 193). Findings were consistent across studies for both LRP5 alleles. Both alleles were associated with vertebral fractures (odds ratio [OR], 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08-1.47 for Met667 [2001 fractures among 20 488 individuals] and OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.01-1.24 for Val1330 [1988 fractures among 20,096 individuals]). Risk of all fractures was also increased with Met667 (OR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.05-1.24 per allele [7876 fractures among 31,435 individuals)]) and Val1330 (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.01-1.12 per allele [7802 fractures among 31 199 individuals]). Effects were similar when adjustments were made for age, weight, height, menopausal status, and use of hormone therapy. Fracture risks were partly attenuated by adjustment for BMD. Haplotype analysis indicated that Met667 and Val1330 variants both independently affected BMD. The LRP6 Ile1062Val polymorphism was not associated with any osteoporosis phenotype. All aforementioned associations except that between Val1330 and all fractures and vertebral fractures remained significant after multiple-comparison adjustments.CONCLUSIONS: Common LRP5 variants are consistently associated with BMD and fracture risk across different white populations. The magnitude of the effect is modest. LRP5 may be the first gene to reach a genome-wide significance level (a conservative level of significance [herein, unadjusted P < 10(-7)] that accounts for the many possible comparisons in the human genome) for a phenotype related to osteoporosis