Introduction

Internationally there is a growing concern to increase, and diversify, the numbers of students in higher education (HE) (OECD 2001). These drives to widen participation are motivated by a number of factors, including economic, institutional and social justice concerns, which are framed within the globalization of the knowledge economy/knowledge society. In this book we focus upon the specific UK context, although many of the issues raised will resonate internationally to all those who are engaged in efforts to widen university participation to students from ‘non-traditional’ backgrounds. Within the UK, the government has explicitly stated one of its aims as being to widen participation in HE to 50 per cent of 18-30-year-olds by the year 2010. To achieve this target of widened (not merely increased) participation, new students will need to be recruited from previously under-represented groups. Currently, almost all young people from middle-class and professional families go on to university. Participation among young people from working-class groups has remained persistently low. Thus young workingclass groups are a key target of initiatives aimed at widening participation in post-compulsory education.