Introduction 

The RAF Foundation Degree Consortium gives you the opportunity to obtain a university qualification through an innovative and exciting scheme designed to meet the needs of RAF personnel. Developed to allow you to study in the way that best meets your needs, you will have the benefits of selecting your preferred learning approach from the opportunities provided by 4 Universities. Selecting from either a Foundation Degree in Business or a Foundation Degree in Leadership and Management, you will develop the skills and knowledge that will directly benefit both your Service career and your subsequent careers when you leave the RAF.

If you complete the Foundation Degree in Leadership and Management you will also be able to claim the award of an Institute of Leadership and Management Level 5 Diploma in Management.

What Are Foundation Degrees?

Foundation Degrees are employer-led vocational qualifications.  They are designed by employer in partnership with a university.  Your scheme is led by the RAF’s Learning Forces and is supported by 4 universities; this is a real first in education.  Once you successfully graduate you will have developed knowledge, understanding and skills directly relevant to your RAF career.  But these are also transferable to civilian employment when you finally leave the Service.

In academic terms, your Foundation Degree will be equivalent to the first 2 years of an Honours Degree.  They differ from most honours degrees in that they have a much higher level of workplace competence.  This will allow you to use experience you’ve already gained to help towards your qualification. A foundation degree will therefore enhance your prospects whilst you are still serving and will go a long way to ensuring that your talents and ability are properly recognised when you come to the end of your military career.

Progression to Honours

On completion of your Foundation Degree, there will be progression routes which will enable you to study for a full Honours degree.

Recognition of Prior Learning

A key facilitator in aiding you to gain the qualification is the ability of the participating universities to recognise the value of previous experience and Service courses.  This is known as Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) and takes 2 formats.

If you’ve undertaken a course accredited by another institution within the past 5 years, and it’s relevant to the Foundation Degree, the universities will recognise this learning and award you credit towards the foundation degree, reducing the work you have to undertake.  This includes several RAF courses such as IMLC, AMLC, JOCC and ISSC.  Your Personal Learning Advisor can advise you on the complete list.

But it’s not only courses that can help you progress.  During your RAF career, it’s likely that you will have undertaken a wide variety of interesting and challenging roles.  This experience can be developed by the universities. You will develop a Portfolio of Evidence to demonstrate what you’ve achieved in the past.  By reflecting upon this, you will be able to develop the academic skills needed to achieve your Foundation Degree.

The recognition of your prior learning will reduce the time needed to gain the qualification, and will enable you to make more effective use of your Enhanced Learning Credits.

Flexibility of Learning

By establishing a Consortium of 4 different universities, each with its own strengths and styles, we have been able to provide a highly flexible scheme to meet your needs in an expeditionary Air Force. You will select the university that provides the type of approach that suites you best.  This will take account of both your preferred style of learning and also the circumstances placed upon you by your work.  Whilst you will select your preferred university, you will also be able to pick modules from the other consortium members when these appear particularly attractive and interesting to you.

And should your circumstances change completely, perhaps due to a posting, the Consortium can accommodate you.  You may need to change the modules you study; you may even have to change your ‘Home’ university, the one you originally registered with. The Consortium members have agreed to accommodate these changes and allow you to move seamlessly between them where such changes have been forced upon you. This flexibility of learning and ability to adapt to your changing circumstances is available nowhere else.

Work and Commitment

Starting a Foundation Degree is a significant undertaking both in time and effort. Each of the 240 credit points you will need will take a notional 10 hours of work, although any prior learning will reduce this.  Nevertheless, you must expect to be studying for 3 to 4 years.  Frequent OOA commitments may extend this although certain deployments, for example the Falklands, may allow you to steam ahead. 

If you’re married ensure that you have the support of your family.  And get the support of your boss; it will look good on you annual appraisal.  Finally, do you have access, either through work or at home, to the tools needed to study?  A PC will almost certainly be essential.

The Consortium Members

Open University: The OU has long been associated with high quality distance learning. Most of its provision is through taught modules usually worth 30 and 60 credits each. This provides a structured framework for learning, but with flexibility and recognition of work experience built into the individual modules. The OU will provide APL for previous courses. There are specific starting times, usually February, September and November for the taught modules.

Staffordshire University:  Staffordshire places an emphasis on face-to-face delivery. It too can provide APL both for courses and work experience. Its taught modules tend to be smaller than the OU’s at 15 or 30 credits. This would suit someone who prefers a more structured programme and likes the personal contact with staff and fellow students. There are specific starting times for taught modules, which may be varied depending on demand.

University of Chester:  Chester offers a flexible programme of negotiated work- based and work-related learning.  Learners will negotiate their own individual learning pathway rather than following a prescribed route.  This will require positive support from work and a degree of self-motivation, putting the learner in control.  It allows for 'on the job' experiential learning, though Chester also offers taught modules - largely supported online - in all topic areas.  They will accept both types of APL.

University of Derby:  Derby will also provide negotiated learning which may be particularly suited to personnel engaged within project work, where they can use the project as a ‘learning vehicle’.  Derby also have taught modules which can be taken in conjunction with the work-based learning.  Derby uses the learning through work website, which supports the student to develop an online learning contract.  Derby will accept both types of APL.

Costs and Financial Support

The costs of the foundation degree are set according to Government guidelines at around £10 - £12 per credit point, up to a maximum of £3,000. If you can claim prior learning credits, this cost will come down.

Everyone will be eligible to claim Standard Learning Credits (SLC) and a SLC should be used to fund the initial Self Review.  If you signed up, you can then use Enhanced Learning Credits (ELCs) to pay for discrete blocks of modules. We recommend you use no more than 2 ELCs; this will leave you with additional funding to gain a full Honours degree in the future.  If you still have further study to complete your degree you can use further SLCs.

There are strict rules regarding the use of Learning Credits and you must seek advice from your Personal Learning Advisor before committing yourself to any study.  Failure to do so could leave you liable to the full costs of the course.

 What to do Now

The next move is yours; you will need to get advice from your Personal Learning Advisor who has further details on how the scheme works.  Your Personal Learning Advisor will help you to explore your learning style and your circumstances in order to pick a potential Home university.  The Personal Learning Advisor will then provide you with a contact at that university to allow you to get the real ‘low-down’ needed to confirm your choice.  Your Personal Learning Advisor will also provide you with all the advice needed to register and claim Learning Credits.