The role of research scholarship and scholarly activity has been a recurrent theme in the development and delivery of higher education in further education (HE in FE). The emphasis placed on new industries and higher level skills in the recent Government publications "Higher Ambitions" and "Skills for Growth" underlines the need for more dynamic and inclusive definitions which support the needs of an increasingly skills- and knowledge-based economy.
This report argues that there is an emerging need for a new dimension to both our definition and our approach to what constitutes appropriate activity by teachers in supporting the delivery of high quality vocational skills-based HE. FE colleges have a clear role to play in this building on the vocational further education courses they provide and the close links they enjoy with local employers. Rather than focus on presumed deficiencies in current approaches this report argues that recognition must be given to a form of scholarly activity which is more associated with professional currency and the application of research rather than the creation of new knowledge. While this latter is rightly located in a traditional university setting the technical skills required under the "New Industries New Jobs" agenda are more likely to be stimulated and developed in an HE in FE setting. This report looks at how this can be achieved.
