ABSTRACT
The Community University of the Valleys is a successful higher education widening access initiative, led by Swansea University’s Department of Adult Continuing Education (DACE). Through a network of community partner centres, higher education is provided in the communities of South West Wales. Its unique community-based part-time degree, with confidence building foundation programmes, is recognised for its success in recruiting and retaining adult students from under-represented social groups. DACE develops and delivers its educational programmes in a region that contains some of the most socially excluded communities in the UK; many are within the Welsh Assembly Government’s 100 most deprived communities.
Given the social and economic disadvantage prevalent in many communities in South West Wales and often exacerbated by geographical isolation, higher education that offers new educational opportunities delivered at the point of need must be seen as a prime mover in relation to economic, social and political regeneration.
Like many university adult education departments in the UK, DACE has a traditional liberal adult education background but has increasingly been driven by a mission to promote equality in access to higher education. Today, with over 95 per cent of its programmes delivered in communities, its programmes are successfully reaching learners from disadvantaged backgrounds, including those from ethnic minority communities. The programmes are designed to afford a ‘climbing frame’ of progression routes from nonaccredited taster programmes through accredited/foundation programmes, through part-time degree programmes, to an MA in lifelong learning to postgraduate research opportunities. The overall community programme 67is delivered through collaborations within the voluntary and statutory community-based sectors forming a network of community partner centres. The focus is on widening access and using adult continuing education for political, social and economic change.
