Importance of Foundation Year for Diverse Student Backgrounds

This individual report examines the crucial role of Foundation Years in UK higher education, particularly for students from diverse backgrounds. It highlights the benefits of these programs in developing essential skills, improving access to degree courses, and fostering wider participation in universities. The report emphasizes how Foundation Years help students from lower socio-economic groups and international students to gain confidence, acquire relevant knowledge, and make informed career choices. It also explores the advantages for universities, such as increased student enrollment and the development of a more inclusive educational environment. The report references various studies and sources to support its arguments, concluding that Foundation Years are vital for promoting equal opportunities and enhancing the overall higher education experience for all students. The report also describes the benefits of foundation year for international students, discussing proficiency in communication, increased opportunities of admission to colleges, decreased culture shock, and others.

INDIVIDUAL REPORT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Importance of foundation programme for students of wide participation..................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Foundation Year is also known as foundation programme or gateway programme. In UK,
the programme helps to develop the skills of the students that are necessary for them to pursue a
particular degree course. It can be provided by the institutes as a course for one year or it can
also be offered by integrating with degree programmes (Broomfield, Cotter, M. and Dunne,
2018). Wide participation of students is one of the main priority of the Government of the
country. The aim is to avoid the variance in the opportunities of higher education between
students of different backgrounds. The Essay will outline the value of foundation year for
students of wide involvement background.
MAIN BODY
Importance of foundation programme for students of wide participation.
Foundation programme -
Foundation programme in UK are developed to improve the skills such as
communication skills etc. and qualifications of the students. So that, they can easily pursue
higher degree course in universities. Foundation Year also helps International Students and it
ensures that students will receive right qualification for pursuing a degree programme. In UK
more than 97 institutions are offering Foundation Programmes to the students (Fisher, E. and
Begbie, 2019).
Importance of foundation programme -
Higher education refers to the education that will be undertaken after completing
secondary education. It is provided by various academies, universities etc. of the country.
Foundation programme is very essential for the students of UK . The course is very helpful for
students as it supports them in pursuing higher degree course. It helps the students to acquire the
knowledge in respect of different subjects such as sports, business management, social science
etc. that will support in developing the career of students (Hale, 2015). Foundation course also
promotes the development of vocational skills in the students along with their basic course. The
course helps the students in UK to acquire the learning in respect of the field in which they are
having interest before they will pursue the high degree course.
Foundation Programme also supports in developing knowledge in respect of the subject
that they will have to study in higher education also assist in gaining the skills that will require in

higher level study. If, the students are able to easily completes the Foundation Programme in that
case, they can easily and effectively complete the first year of higher degree education.
Foundation Year which is commonly known as Foundation Programme plays an important role
in developing professional skills of the students, technical skills such as operating software etc.
Therefore, Foundation Programme plays a key role in providing a route to the students for
pursuing Honours Degree in universities of UK (Lee, Chen, H.T. and Chan, 2017).
Students of wide participation background -
Widening the participation refers to improving the access of higher education to the
students that belongs to lower social or economic groups. These students face various challenges
during their transition to higher studies. Widening participation of these students is one of the
major responsibility of the Government in UK, it is also the responsibility of the sector of higher
education. The aim behind the idea of wide participation of the Government is to provide equal
opportunities of higher education to students that belongs to lower socio-economic groups. It
also focuses on providing opportunity to pursue higher education to the students that belongs
from wide participation background (Meyer, Neumayr, M. and Rameder, 2019).
Government of UK also aims to increase the participation of students in higher education.
Wide Participation also helps to provide support to under-represented groups so that, they can
easily pursue high degree courses. Also promote the chances of employment to students that
belongs to wide participation background. Also, helps to gain learning throughout their lives
(O’Shea, 2016).
Importance of Foundation Year for students that belongs to wide participation background
Foundation Year in UK plays an important role in retaining students from wide
participation background in Universities for pursuing higher degree. It has help to increase the
level of confidence of the students that comes from lower socio-economic background. The
Foundation course that are offered by various institutions, colleges in UK helps the students to
acquire new skills, knowledge etc. that helps them to participate in higher degree courses
(Patterson, F.A. and Walker, 2016).
Under Foundation Year, all the students are being provided education for better
achievement in higher education and helps to improve the experience of the students. One of the
major advantage of the programme is that it helps the students to make the informed choices.
Under Foundation Programme students from wider participation background are being provided

the opportunity for career development because under first semester of the course students learn
in respect of career paths that are available to them in higher study. Student belongs to lower
social and cultural background has ability to perform better, but they fail due to lack of ability to
find right type of employment. Therefore, Foundation Programme of college and Universities in
UK aims to provide equal opportunities to students from all the backgrounds. So that,
Universities not only focuses on A Level students, but they will also focus on students having
lower qualifications for entering in Universities (Soltan, M. and Powell, 2016).
Foundation Programmes that various Institutes in UK offers to the students also supports
the collaboration between students from lower socio-economic background with other students.
It also provides a positive experience to these students during their transition to higher degree
course. It also promotes better relationship of wide participation students with teachers that
impacts the level of engagement of the students (Stone, 2017). Also results in positive social and
personal results.
Foundation year also supports the students that are facing financial pressure in getting
higher degree. The programme also ensure informed decision-making of the students in pursuing
higher education. Foundation Programme also helps to overcome the difficulties they are facing
related with social and cultural factors. Also, it promotes the motivation for study higher
education and also supports the feeling of self-sufficiency in the students. Government has
promoted the wide participation of students so that, they will get opportunity to study Higher
degree education in Universities of UK. Foundation programmes also provides various
advantages to the Universities. Students that are having lower education qualification will also
receive an opportunity of unemployment and also supports to determine a route for pursuing
higher education.
Government of UK has made wide efforts for promoting the education of students that
belongs to lower social and cultural backgrounds. Despite their efforts, the participation of these
students in Universities is lower and stagnant (Szmidt, Stanley, C. and Tran, 2018). The
participation of students from backward areas is lower in the Universities. Wider Participation is
making various efforts to provide access to these students and helps to find out various structural
solutions and provide incentives to the Universities of UK to provide right course to the students
by providing Foundation Programmes.

Nowadays, various colleges and Universities in UK are making efforts to ensure that
large number of young people from the background of wide participation will get opportunity to
move to higher education. This effort of the Government of UK will help to change the mind set
of of people in education system towards the background of the students. Foundation
Programmes of the Universities helps to develop the skills and abilities of the students from
backward areas. It will also support the students to adjust with different culture, teaching system,
etc. This will also help to improve academic skills of the students that are required to pursue
higher education.
The aim of Foundation Year is to influence and support the development of abilities in
the students. This will help them in throughout their life. This will help the students to contribute
in the development of society and economy. Under Foundation Programme, it promotes the
mentoring of the students. The foundation degree also supports in development of understanding
of the students in respect of their job. Also helps the students of wide participation background to
get a better job. There are various advantages of Foundation Year for the students such as
personal and professional development, to develop qualifications for easy transition to Higher
Degree Course. Also provides an opportunity to gain knowledge regarding the business,
development of reasoning skills etc (Vignoles, A. and Murray, 2016).
Foundation year offers supportive environment, if students have been out of education for
few years and nervous about get down on university degree. Foundation year can ease to back
into education surrounding while giving access to scope of undergraduate courses. It is one year
bridging course acquiring the level to take level and is planned for students who have capabilities
to take level but do not have qualification to go directly on to level course. The large benefit is
that they get university without having to resit there A level (Why a foundation year could be
perfect for your child, 2019). They are capable to move seamed into first year of degree course,
having learned the lines of higher education. They can bot acquire loan on similar mode which
they can for undergraduate degree. Foundation year can be looked as measuring stone into
worldwide of higher education specifically. If students do not have right qualification to go
continuous onto degree programme.
In this context, there are many benefits of foundation year to international students such
as effective communication proficiency, raised opportunities of admission to honoured colleges,
decreased culture shock and so on. In order to that, global foundation plans always involve

English language course (Du, and et.al., 2016). This year aids to improve the general English
capabilities and academic English competencies that involves ways of writing an essay and
academic vocabulary to international students. There are lots of international students fights with
culture shock involving various academic system. They have large number of opportunities to
experience the localized culture and custom during foundation year. Furthermore, they can
acquire to adjust with academic atmosphere, teaching system, kinds of measurements before they
begin an undergraduate course. It is needed in relation to entry into university of UK
undergraduate course. It aids students coming from various education system around the world to
align their qualification to the education system of nation coming and to become liable for
university admission (Coleman, 2018).
In order to that, the foundation year gives students with particular set of abilities and
cognition needed for university entrance. This aids students to have special benefits over other
students. In order to that, students acquire to learn the basic concepts and components of their
selected areas of career of study. Thus, they will be better formulated once they can begin their
full degree programme (O'Connor Jr, Butcher and Titus, 2019). Students who completed
foundation year that are advised to be wholly qualified to begin collegian grade are highly liable
to acquire into great universities they wish. With the help of it, international students easily
developing their personal and professional career. International students face special challenges
when they get to UK universities. It is because education centres such as University of Sheffield
international university were established to offer foundation course. This is particularly prepared
to assess the wants of students from worldwide. They are custom-made to students to assures
that they are academically ready and individually confident enough to take and succeed
undergraduate course at UK universities.

CONCLUSION
The above Essay has outlined that Foundation Year plays a major role in helping the students
from all the backgrounds to pursue high degree course. There are large number of Universities in
UK that are offering the programme to students. The Essay has also described that Higher
education helps in promoting the skills and abilities of the students in different areas. Wide
Participation is one of the major focus of Government to provide equal opportunity to students
that belongs from wide participation background. Foundation Year helps to support students
from under-represented groups. Moreover, the Essay has described that the Programme helps the
students to make better choices.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Coleman, G., 2018. Victorian bar foundation student achivement award and mentoring
program. Victorian Bar News, (163), p.32.
Du, X. and et.al., 2016. Preparing foundation-year students for medical studies in a problem-
based learning environment: students׳ perceptions. Health Professions Education. 2(2).
pp.130-137.
O'Connor Jr, J.R., Butcher, J.T. and Titus, F., 2019. The Importance of Understanding the
Challenges of African American Male Students: Setting the Foundation for Future
Educational Success. In Overcoming Challenges and Creating Opportunity for African
American Male Students (pp. 1-17). IGI Global
Broomfield, R., Cotter, M. and Dunne, J., 2018. P32 Can you improve knowledge and
confidence in common paediatric emergencies using simulation teaching as part of a
foundation year teaching program?.
Fisher, E. and Begbie, J., 2019. Using individual-level contextual indicators to identify
disadvantaged applicants: Evidence from the Foundation Year at Lady Margaret Hall, a
college of Oxford University.\
Hale, M., 2015. How to prepare for an academic foundation programme interview. BMJ. 351.
p.h5937.
Lee, F.L., Chen, H.T. and Chan, M., 2017. Social media use and university students’
participation in a large-scale protest campaign: The case of Hong Kong’s Umbrella
Movement. Telematics and Informatics. 34(2). pp.457-469.
Meyer, M., Neumayr, M. and Rameder, P., 2019. Students’ Community Service: Self-Selection
and the Effects of Participation. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly.
p.0899764019848492.
O’Shea, S., 2016. First-in-family learners and higher education: Negotiating the ‘silences’ of
university transition and participation. HERDSA Review of Higher Education. 3.pp.5-23.
Patterson, F.A. and Walker, K., 2016. The independent validation of the Foundation
Programme application process: a closer look. Clinical Medicine. 16(6). p.606.
Soltan, M. and Powell, R., 2016. The new foundation programme curriculum. BMJ. 355.
p.i4590.

Stone, C., 2017. Opportunity through online learning: Improving student access, participation
and success in higher education.
Szmidt, N., Stanley, C. and Tran, S., 2018. 62 The academic foundation programme in
healthcare leadership and management–recommendations based on trainee experience.
Vignoles, A. and Murray, N., 2016. Widening participation in higher education.
Online
Why a foundation year could be perfect for your child. 2019.[ONLINE]. Available through. :
<https://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/jul/03/advice-for-parents-foundation-
degrees>.