Universities go for the hard sell

COLLEGES and universities are to be encouraged to use the hard- sell techniques of cold calling, pioneered by insurance companies and double-glazing firms, to attract thousands of students back into the classroom.

A pilot project found one in five of those called by telephone salesmen took up offers of short "taster" courses designed to attract people back to college. The pilot, run in Sunderland by the Institute for Public Policy Research, an influential think tank, forms the basis of the Government's new University for Industry, due to be launched in 2000.

David Blunkett, the Secretary of State for Education, has promised the university will revolutionise adult education. The pounds 50m venture will offer training and education to 400,000 people within five years, working through tens of thousands of companies. Ministers hope it will help people to take training courses during their lunch breaks, or in libraries and shopping centres using computer technology.

Nick Pierce, a senior researcher at the IPPR, said: "We tried to do for education what Direct Line did for the insurance business. The idea was to market it in a sophisticated way and make it work like a commercial operation."

The year-long project, run by the University of Sunderland, set up 35 local education centres and attracted more than 6,000 people on to courses - mainly basic "taster" sessions in computing - designed to encourage people to get back into education.

Researchers set up a telesales centre which made nearly 8,000 calls to families in the north-east, asking them if they would like to try a course for free. More than one in five said yes. They also sent out nearly 550,000 leaflets using the slogan "Learn more, earn more" as well as running supermarket roadshows and securing publicity on local television. Those who replied were offered courses such as IT for the Terrified, or Internet for Football Fans.

Under government plans the University for Industry will not run courses itself, but instead will act as a broker, marketing courses and putting potential students in touch with schemes at college, in companies or even in pubs or clubs.

Helen Milner of the University of Sunderland, who manages the pilot project, said: "We looked at telemarketing being carried out by banks. We followed people up if they called us. Our approach was to ask people whether they would like to start learning now, and making it easy for them."

Mr Pierce, whose report on the project is due out in February, said: "The telesales worked because one in five people registered, which was a really good rate.

"We made sure it was very simple for people, so when we had persuaded them to pick up the telephone, they could book on to a course there and then. It's a competitive world and all sorts of things compete for people's attention."