Widening Participation in Post-Compulsory Education

Liz Thomas is Senior Adviser for Widening Participation at the UK Higher Education Academy, and Vice-President, Research and Publications for the European Access Network. She edits the peer-reviewed journal Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning.

• Introduction; Modernizers and the economic drive for expansion; Progressives and the personal and social benefits of post-compulsory education; Access to post-compulsory education by "non-traditional" students; Identifying assumptions and barriers to participation; Schools and progression: barriers created by the compulsory education system; Barriers and opportunities created by the post-compulsory education system; The labour market and participation in post-compulsory education and training. The influence of social and cultural factors on participation in post-compulsory education. Individualizing the problem of problematizing the individual? A strategic approach - but whose startegy? Case study 1: regional distance learning scheme; Case study 2: community outreach partnership; Case study 3: a tailor-made programme of courses; This approach to widening participation; Appendix 1: key questions; Appendix 2: Further case studies; Bibliography; Index