Two thousand new students are to get the chance to take the new two-year vocational degrees on 40 courses next autumn.

These pilot courses will be run by 21 consortia - chosen from 56 bidders - involving universities, colleges and employers.

The "foundation degrees" are designed to equip students with the technical and academic skills employers want in a range of sectors, including health care, information technology and e-business.

Announcing the successful bidders, the chief executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, Sir Brian Fender, said: "These foundation degrees offer a great opportunity for people to develop key skills that are relevant and in demand for a 21st Century workforce."

Click here for the full list of courses

Sir Brian said the innovative nature of the programmes would attract students who might not previously have considered higher education, or whose needs were not met by a traditional three- or four-year course.

Honours degree option

"The crucial partnerships that are at the heart of these new degrees will ensure that the qualification fulfils a genuine need for students and will allow them to gain skills needed for future employment," he added.

The Education Secretary, David Blunkett, said: "In keeping with the innovative nature of foundation degrees I am pleased to see that many of these programmes are geared to the needs of the knowledge economy."

People can study the degrees either over two years, full time, or the part-time equivalent.

Once qualified, graduates are guaranteed places on honours degree courses if they want them - which can be pursued straight away or after a time in work.

The honours degrees will be completed with an extra year or a little more of study, or the part-time equivalent.

The courses to be launched in 2001-02 will be offered as prototypes, whose progress will be monitored with a view to spreading the best practice.

Classroom assistants course

Among the universities which were keen to get involved was Warwick.

It will be offering a foundation degree in learning support, aimed at teaching assistants - to back the government's expansion of the use of assistants in classrooms.

This will be delivered by Warwick's Institute of Education, one of the largest providers of teacher training in the UK, which inspectors describe as "fantastic".

Its other foundation degree - in community enterprise and development - has been devised in partnership with Coventry's Tile Hill College of Further Education, North Warwickshire and Hinckley College, and a number of local authorities and community organisations.

Warwick's vice-chancellor, Sir Brian Follett, said he was proud the university had been chosen as one of the pioneers.

"Foundation degrees are a new idea aimed at students who have previously felt excluded from our universities," he said.

"Two important features of the new degrees are that they involve employers in delivering parts of the programmes and offer employees the chance to improve their skills and careers."

Full list of courses:

CONSORTIUM	COURSES
Kingston University	Aircraft engineering
Lancaster University, 2 other HEIs and 1 FEC	Applied guidance technology Teaching assistants
Leeds Metropolitan University, University of Bradford, University of Huddersfield and 10 FECs	Exercise and sport leadership Health and social care Legal and financial services
University of Leicester and 1 other HEI	Security and risk management
Manchester Metropolitan University and 3 FECs	New media design
Oxford Brookes University and 3 FECs	Hospitality, leisure and tourism
University of Plymouth, Bournemouth University and 8 FECs	Creative arts and media
University of Salford and 8 FECs	Community governance
University of Southampton and 4 FECs	Health care
University of Sunderland, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, University of Northumbria at and 6 FECs	E-business Software engineering Multi-media
The Surrey Institute of Art and Design, University College, University of Sussex and 2 FECs	Creative digital broadcast technology Professional photography Professional computer modelling for designers
University of Teesside and 1 FEC	Chemical technology
Thames Valley University and 2 FECs	Internet computing Music and mulitmedia technology Hospitality
University of Warwick and 2 FECs	Community enterprise and management Learning support
HEI = higher education institution
FEC = further education college

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