Hodge backs rise in two-year degrees

The return of the polytechnic was signalled yesterday with plans for a big expansion in slimline two-year vocational degree courses tailored to the needs of industry.

In a speech seen as indicating a return to the polytechnic/ university divide of a decade ago, Margaret Hodge, the minister for higher education, held out the prospect of some universities offering vocational courses only – while those such as Oxford and Cambridge concentrated on research and academic studies. The plans will be published in the Government's higher education blueprint next week.

Ms Hodge told a seminar organised by the Institute for Public Policy Research in London that the two-year courses were the best way of achieving the Government's target of getting 50 per cent of young people into higher education by the end of the decade. They would be offered by further education colleges as well as universities.

Mrs Hodge cautioned against universities introducing "Mickey Mouse" courses that failed to meet the needs of local industry. She also said universities would face tough penalties if they failed to tackle drop-out rates.

"We cannot tolerate the current situation where over 10 per cent of our institutions lose more than one in four of their students before they've completed the course," she added.

Mrs Hodge called for universities to adopt diverse missions to meet the needs of the workforce of the 21st century.

"Some will continue to teach traditional subjects – although we expect them to be more inclusive in their intake. But most of the expansion of places will need to come from vocational degrees offered in further and higher education institutions.

"We are looking for an expansion of foundation degrees where education combines in the local and regional economy to devise two-year courses which meet local skill shortages and business demands."

About 15,000 students are on two-year foundation degree courses but the number could increase to nearer 50,000.