How do they work?

Foundation Degrees offer various options; you can explore which of these will work for your business. Here are some examples:

• Employee takes full-time course, with one day release per week and time spent on work-based projects. Course takes 1 year.

• Employee takes part-time course, with ten days release per year and time spent on workplace projects. Course takes 2 years.

• Employee takes full-time on-line course, doing most course work in own time and working on work-based projects in work time. Course takes 1 year.

The amount of time out of work for learning that an employee will need to take a Foundation Degree varies. What is certain is that both during the course and afterwards your business will benefit from having employees who are engaged in higher level learning and who have increased motivation from doing this with your support.

You can support employees who take a Foundation Degree in two main ways: by giving them time off for study, and by contributing to the tuition fee.

What does it cost ?

Fees for part time courses vary between different providers. The fee in 2005/6 for a full-time Foundation Degree is £1,150. Some providers break down costs by module.

Foundation Degree students are eligible for the same financial help as other higher education students. Various grants and financial support are available and around 60% of students pay either a reduced fee or none at all. Visit the student support website for details here.