White Working Class Males in British Higher Education
Careers related information and advice ( Inc . alternatives to HE )
To know what areas you have to study for different jobs . Information on apprenticeships .
Figure 33 : Types of support required to make informed decisions about HE identified by focus group participants
It is evident from their responses that information about university is not viewed in isolation , although many identified specific topics they would like to know more about they felt that wider information ( about jobs and apprenticeships specifically ) would be helpful in their HE decision making process . As well as information respondents were interested in experiencing what it is like to be a HE student , thus perhaps helping them to judge if they were a ‘ match ’ with the university environment . The issue of impartiality of information was raised by a number of participants ( You don ’ t want representatives of the university because they ’ re biased ) and they were keen to get access to people who could offer real insights rather than deliver a ‘ sales pitch ’. Ensuring that information was provided in a timely fashion was also identified as important , with one group of 6 th Form students highlighting that earlier information might reduce the feeling of being under pressure to make decisions . Not all learners felt further information and advice was necessary , although this view was limited and it wasn ’ t clear without further exploration whether this view reflected low aspirations or informed career choice :
I don ’ t want to go to uni , I don ’ t really want anything high up so I don ’ t want to find out about it . The job I want to do doesn ’ t need it .
5.8 Barriers to higher education for white working class males in Southampton
In summary , the pre-entry research suggests that the following may all contribute to lower rates of HE progression for white working class males in the Southampton area :
Prior attainment : National and local school / college data suggests that this group of learners are less likely to have the levels of prior attainment required to make the transition to HE .
Patterns of post 16 progression : Evidence is that locally this group are less likely to make a secure transition into post 16 education and those that do progress into this route are more likely to go into the FE sector . Although progression is possible from vocational and work based provision , the route from sixth form to university is more well established and it is here that males are under-represented . Males are more likely to choose to undertake an apprenticeship and although Higher and Degree apprenticeships are set to grow the opportunity to take higher level qualifications through this route are more limited .
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High level of risk : The research suggests that university is a high risk strategy for many of this learner group . Learners are very aware that university is now an expensive option and in most instances the chances of employment are not guaranteed . Although all learners will be ‘ gambling ’ by taking a university course , learners from working class backgrounds may perceive the risk to be higher and indeed they may well be right . Lower household income may mean less financial support from parents , thus increasing the levels of debt and worry about managing their money on a day to day basis . Lower levels of attainment generally amongst white working class males means for some learners their HE options may be limited and access to the highest tariff university may be restricted , which in some instances will impact on graduate employment outcomes . Given the low levels of HE progression in the area it is likely that this group of learners have fewer examples of HE success and therefore the risk may seem elevated as they are not surrounded by family and friends that have taken the gamble and won . At the same time , they are faced by regular messages in the media about financial costs of university . In contrast to the risk of university , vocational and work based routes are seen as more secure . Although there is less potential to earn it provides a less risky , more comfortable strategy which appeals to some of the learners we meet .
Negative Learner Perceptions : Individual learners all hold differing perceptions of HE as an option , influenced by their own experiences and set of personal circumstances . Almost all