The brief
- The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) commissioned Shift to explore the landscape of higher technical and applied qualifications in Chemistry and related subjects in England and Scotland, with a view to shaping the direction of future policy work in this area of education.
- The RSC identified a knowledge gap regarding how these qualifications served the providers, learners and employers in chemical sciences.
- This research aimed to gather evidence about the needs and challenges faced by the sector and to provide the RSC with useful insight to advocate for the development of technical skills for the chemical sciences.
The approach
Shift conducted two-stage research, beginning with a literature review, which analysed existing academic articles, industry reports and policy documents to provide an overview of the landscape of qualifications in this subject/level and identify any gaps in understanding in relation to existing policies, market size, provision and demand trends, learners’ background and destinations, and learning and employability outcomes. The second stage included 51 online qualitative interviews with employers, providers and learners of Higher Technical Qualifications. These were conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic, with extra resourcing dedicated to minimise the impact on recruitment.
The value
- The findings were presented first in a literature review report and presentation to provide a background and context for primary research.
- This was followed by a qualitative stage report, which was made publicly available. We delivered insight on education providers’ needs, learners’ journeys, and employers’ perceptions. Those outputs provided evidence to inform the following strategic questions: What needs do Higher Technical Qualifications serve? How successful are they currently? What would be the impact if those qualifications didn’t exist?
