From life crisis to lifelong learning: Rethinking working-class 'drop out'
From life crisis to lifelong learning: Rethinking working-class 'drop out'
From life crisis to lifelong learning: Rethinking working-class 'drop out'
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The impacts of <strong>working</strong>-<strong>class</strong> ‘drop out’<br />
‘Drop out’ impacted on the public image of the area and tended <strong>to</strong> perpetuate an<br />
already negative perception of the place and its occupants as unsuccessful:<br />
I think it’s part of a perception of a failing area with things like being<br />
labelled the worst city.<br />
(President, Students’ Union)<br />
‘Drop out’ affected the motivation of potential students and was seen as<br />
disproportionately impacting on <strong>working</strong>-<strong>class</strong> students. Middle-<strong>class</strong> students were<br />
already cushioned and on track, whereas ‘drop out’ counteracted all the efforts <strong>to</strong><br />
‘raise aspirations’ in <strong>working</strong>-<strong>class</strong> communities:<br />
There’s a well-trodden path from a lot of schools sec<strong>to</strong>r in<strong>to</strong> higher<br />
education. That can be seen almost as apathy … I think likewise there’s<br />
this brick wall that has <strong>to</strong> be dismantled in terms of some of the other<br />
areas. If we don’t do something <strong>to</strong> improve or reduce the drop-out rates<br />
looking at the human cost of all the mismatching, then it does filter down,<br />
right down in<strong>to</strong> the community where we’re actually trying <strong>to</strong> influence<br />
people <strong>to</strong> come through. It does reinforce those images of university as<br />
elitist. It costs <strong>to</strong>o much <strong>to</strong> go <strong>to</strong> university. It’s <strong>to</strong>o hard <strong>to</strong> go <strong>to</strong> university.<br />
I couldn’t possibly do the course … I think it’s a bit of an indictment that<br />
we’re maybe failing <strong>to</strong> recognise and cope with those early signs of<br />
potential dropout.<br />
(Head of recruitment)<br />
‘Drop out’ was even seen as hindering young people from being active citizens, for<br />
example acting as a barrier <strong>to</strong> participating in the voluntary sec<strong>to</strong>r:<br />
I sit on recruitment panels for local charities and up until <strong>to</strong>day I would<br />
have disregarded people who had dropped out for appointments in the<br />
voluntary sec<strong>to</strong>r.<br />
(Participant, research jury day)<br />
Impacts on regeneration<br />
The Government is asking universities <strong>to</strong> play an important role in regeneration.<br />
Moreover, local partnerships with other educational institutions, the public sec<strong>to</strong>r and<br />
industry are seen as key <strong>to</strong> the future developments of all the institutions in our<br />
study. However, ‘drop out’ was seen as a counteracting force:<br />
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