Hi,
I'm not sure if I'm in the right place here, but I am a PhD student trying to find British army personnel who have studied at higher education in the UK. I am looking for individuals who may have studied some time in the past, more recently or studying now. They may be full or part time students. Basically, I would like to know if their experiences have been good, bad or just plain indifferent!

Very little is known about this group of students and I hope that the findings of my research will mean that future students who have served with the British army will be able to make the very most of their time in higher education.

If anyone can help with the above please get in touch with me - many thanks!

What is your thesis?

DSPS(A) sponsor a cohort each year to Southampton Solent University to do a degree and a Masters in Business Administration. I completed the first year of the Masters but out of 12 starters, only 2 of us were eligable to start the following year. Needless to say that when we were offered distance learning only for the second year it died a death. During the first year we attended 4 x weekend session which provided good motivaiton.

I was the first intake to go through with Solent. Since then they have tweaked the programme and the delivery. I would recommend either a phonecall to the Uni or to DSPS(A) for the background / numbers in the programme

Look to Northumbria University, Southampton and Portsmouth University's, and Wiltshire and Somerset College, for info. These provide accredited further education to Junior and Senior NCO's. I take it, that its the Non-Commissioned masses that you'll be looking at, as the toffs have to be graduates to get into the Puzzle Palace

Originally Posted by PapaGolf

as the toffs have to be graduates to get into the Puzzle Palace

Not any more!

I stand corrected

Hi,
I really want to know if higher education could be doing more to encourage and retain students from the military. Part of my interest stems from the Governments 2008 pledge to provide free university education to eligible military personnel - and also from speaking with students at the university.

A lot of work has been carried out in the USA in this area - but very little has been done in the UK.

There are still quite a few Officers without degrees coming through the system.

Kim - are you looking at purely University courses? The reason I ask is that NVQ's / vocational qualifications are quite popular and sp are probably building up CV evidence via this route - my last piece of Personal Development was a Level 5 qualification. I also have a graduate award based on vocational experience.

What 2008 pledge is this? Seems to have passed me by! Anyone know about this?

You've probably found the 'right' place, but you'd get a much better response in the Int Cell. Personally, I'd drop a message to a mod and ask if you can post this in there instead.