Project Evaluation: Development of Foundation Degrees in Salon and Spa Management and Airport and Airline Management

Tuesday 15 December 2009 Permlink

The West London Lifelong Learning Network (WL LLN) allocated project support to Uxbridge College to develop two Foundation Degrees (FDs) in partnership with the Open University.

The first was in Salon and Spa Management and the second in Airport and Airline Management.

Early on in the project, the College decided not to take forward the development of the second FD and to concentrate on the development of Salon and Spa Management.

The reasons for this decision were that the college had hoped to enter into a partnership with B.A.A. to develop the Foundation Degree; however B.A.A. felt they were not ready to take this forward at that time.

An alternative option to work with Royal Holloway, University of London was also considered, to link with their potential development for a Centre of Aviation Studies, but the University’s strategy was not sufficiently advanced to progress within the project timescale.

A further revision to the project was required when the College moved to work with Thames Valley University (TVU), another LLN partner, rather than the Open University to validate the FD in Salon and Spa Management.

Although documents had already been prepared to validate the programme through the OU, this change enabled the College to develop a more locally relevant programme with clear progression routes into a local university.

As a result of this change, the WL LLN allocated additional funding to the College to enable them to review and revise the documentation to meet TVU validation requirements, to involve learners and employers in the development and recruitment of the course and to develop course specific marketing materials.

A further project was supported later in the year to enable the College and TVU to develop a progression agreement from Level 3 qualifications onto the FD in Salon and Spa Management and then from the FD onto relevant Level 6 courses at TVU.

The FD in Salon and Spa Management was successfully validated in July 08 with initial delivery planned from February 2009 but due to the current economic climate failed to recruit sufficient numbers for the course to run at that time.

The progression agreement has been drafted and will be reviewed by the College and TVU when recruitment to the FD is sufficient for the course to run.

The College does not have any plans to undertake development of the FD in Airline and Airport Management at this time and the LLN is working with other partners to undertake curriculum development in this subject area.

A total of £13,978 was allocated to support these projects.