Foundation Degree FAQs
What are Foundation Degrees?
What
are the benefits of Foundation Degrees?
Will
Foundation Degrees replace the existing Higher National Diplomas?
When
will Foundation Degree-based programmes be available?
How
will Foundation Degrees ‘add value’ to officer training?
My
company operates within a part of the industry that doesn’t need so-called ‘high-fliers’ and I doubt
that the Foundation Degree programme would be appropriate for our cadet training and the types of officers
we want. Will I have to use this programme or will there be an alternative that will meet my needs?
How
have the Merchant Navy Foundation Degrees been developed?
What
is happening in Scotland, where Foundation Degrees do not exist?
What are Foundation Degrees?
Foundation
Degrees are designed to appeal to learners wishing to enter a profession as well as those seeking continuing
professional development. Foundation Degrees provide self-standing qualifications of specific value,
but they can also provide pathways for lifelong learning and the opportunity to progress to other qualifications.
Foundation Degrees will normally link to at least one programme leading to a bachelors
degree with honours.
What are the benefits of Foundation Degrees?
Partnership
and collaboration between employers and providers of higher education, the planned integration of work-based
skills and academic learning and the relevance of skills and their application in a work-based environment
are all central to the concept of the Foundation Degree. The distinctive features
of Foundation Degrees align very closely with the planned and progressive nature of cadet training in
the merchant navy and fit well with the industry’s agenda for maintaining and enhancing the quality
and effectiveness of training – and for attracting more high calibre people into the industry.
Will Foundation Degrees replace the existing Higher National
Diplomas?
The Foundation Degree will replace
the HND for those with the right ability and will focus on achievement of the skills, knowledge and
understanding needed for the highest levels of ‘STCW’ certification. It is envisaged
that training schemes incorporating a Foundation Degree will become the mainstream entry for those who
are recruited and trained as officer cadets (i.e. individuals who are committed to going to sea from
the outset but may progress in different directions at a later stage of their careers).
When will Foundation Degree-based programmes be available?
The
target for the first enrolments on to Foundation Degree programmes is September 2006. It is expected
that the existing HND-based schemes will continue for a transitional period after that. This
will safeguard supply during the transitional period and provide a fall-back position should there be
any difficulties in recruiting for the Foundation Degree.
How will Foundation Degrees ‘add value’ to officer training?
From
the outset, the programmes leading to a Foundation Degree will include an introduction to management
competences alongside the technical content. The planned articulation to an Honours level degree gives
the opportunity to take this further and enable senior officers to better develop competencies for managing
projects, managing people, managing emergency situations should they occur and managing the overall
business of the ship.
My company operates within a part of the industry
that doesn’t need so-called ‘high-fliers’ and I doubt that the Foundation Degree programme would be
appropriate for our cadet training and the types of officers we want. Will I have to use this programme
or will there be an alternative that will meet my needs?
Alternative
training programmes will continue to be available for:
- those sections of the industry where degree-level programmes are not appropriate and to provide an entry route for potential officers and ratings who have the right attributes, motivation and ambition to succeed but not the academic standard appropriate for Foundation Degree entry;
- individuals holding relevant qualifications obtained prior to entry, including graduates and engineering apprentices;
- serving seafarers seeking to upgrade their skills and qualifications.
How
have the Merchant Navy Foundation Degrees been developed?
The
MNTB set up a steering group to guide the development work. This includes representatives from the Maritime
and Coastguard Agency, NUMAST, the UK colleges in membership of the International Association of Maritime
Institutes, the Chamber of Shipping and Foundation Degree Forward.
What is happening in Scotland, where Foundation Degrees
do not exist?
Foundation degrees do not exist
in the Scottish Qualifications Framework and no Scottish University has a charter to validate Foundation
Degrees. However, new Merchant Navy qualifications have been developed in Scotland to provide an equivalent
programme with all the same features and covering the same content as the Foundation Degree.
Click here for the new Foundation Degree promotional
leaflet (PDF 256KB)
For more information on Foundation
Degrees and career information please visit www.careersatsea.org
and www.fdf.ac.uk