New two-year "foundation degrees" are set to be launched as a way of increasing the number of students in further and higher education.

The government has set ambitious targets for growth in post-16 education, pledging to create 700,000 more places in further education colleges and universities by 2002.

The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has said that eventually, he wants to see half of all people achieving a degree by the time they are 30.

But ministers are aware that the risk of expanding further and higher education is a higher student drop-out rate.

Already, nearly one in five students in higher education are likely to leave their course with nothing, according to official figures.

Job-related studies

Widening access will inevitably mean opening courses to students with poorer qualifications and less expectation of higher education - those most at risk of failure.

The new foundation degrees are designed to offer credible qualifications for students starting from a lower academic base.

Many courses would involve more job-related studies, taking the place of existing qualifications like Higher National Diplomas.

They would also be intended to provide a bridge between universities and FE colleges, where the government expects most of the expansion in student places.

The standard required for acceptance onto a course might be one A-level or a vocational equivalent.

The courses would be modular, making them easier for students dipping in and out of education, because of family or work commitments.

Ministers hope the new degrees, which are due to be launched for consultation next month, would enhance the reputation of high-level vocational qualifications.

Funding for colleges which offer them might even be linked directly to students' success rate in finding subsequent employment.