FURTHER EDUCATION.

Further Education is a broad term to cover education beyond the secondary stage. It includes vocational education, non-vocational education, recreational evening classes and adult education. Further education colleges have strong ties with commerce and industry. So, the further education delvers a broad range of learning, including:

- academic and vocational learning for 16 to 19-year-old;

- vocational education and training for adults seeking employment;

- workforce development for employers;

- second chance general for adults;

- learning for leisure and personal development.

Not all students study full-time at a University or college. Many people combine their studies with work. Some companies release their staff for training one or two days a week or for two months a year. Large companies often have their own in-house training schemes.

The British government is very enthusiastic about different training schemes working in the system of further education because so few people can get education at the universities.

The most further education establishments are either maintained or aided from public funds, so the tuition fees are moderate. Some students are paid different awards and scholarships to help them to cover tuition fees.

The courses in further education are different: full-time, sandwich (6 months of full time study in a technical college and 6 months of supervised experience in industry), block release (on similar principles, but with shorter periods in college), day release (one day of attendance at a technical college a week during working hours) and evening classes.

There are also many business courses such as tourism, manufacturing, art and design and secretarial courses such as shorthand, typing, book-keeping and so on. For the unemployed there are two forms of training schemes: employment training for people who have been out of work for a long time and Youth Training schemes for school-leavers who cannot find a job.

Adult education includes courses of non-vocational education for people over 18. Many of the courses are practical, but there are widespread opportunities for academic study for those who left school at 16 and went straight into job, but later on realized that they need higher qualifications. Quite a lot of people in their mid-20s or older come back into education at the Further Education college and take a one year Access course. This gets them into university, where they are often more successful than younger students because they are more serious and focused.

It was in 1873 when Extension courses were first provided by Cambridge University. Now all the universities have Extramural Departments with its director and staff.

In London there is the National Institute of Adult Education which serves as a centre of information, research, publication, co-operation and consultation for adult education.

In 1973 the Technician Education Council was set up for developing a unified system of courses of further education. The courses are of two levels (ordinary and higher, junior and senior). After completing junior courses (or Youth Training Schemes) students get Ordinary National Certificate (ONC) or Greater National Vocational Qualifications (GNVQ). After completing senior courses (advanced courses) which demand two more years, one gets the Higher National Diploma which approaches the standard of a pass degree of the university.