Part‐time Higher Education and the Student‐Employer Relationship

Abstract

The article reports on research carried out for the Scottish Office between 1994 and 1997: case studies of two universities and two further education colleges, involving interviews with staff and students, and postal surveys of students in each institution. It deals with the factors which shape students’ decisions to participate in part‐time higher education, including vocational and personal motivations; and their modes of support from employers, in the shape of financial assistance for fees and time off. We suggest that the process of participation is increasingly a matter of formal or informal negotiation which reflects the character of employment relationships, in diverse ways, and that while the prospects for part‐time higher education are encouraging judged by student commitment and satisfaction, the patterns of employer support are highly variable.