The foundation degree: an education framework for rehabilitation assistants?

A major feature of foundation degrees, which were introduced as a new development in February 2000, is the high proportion of work-based learning and the concept of ‘earn and learn’. Concurrent with this development was the increasing acknowledgement of the need to provide more flexible education for the NHS workforce. A key feature of the development of foundation degrees was employer involvement in the design and delivery of the programmes, which provided an ideal opportunity to develop a health-care programme that met service needs. Bradford University was successful in obtaining funding to develop a foundation degree in health and social care as part of the pilot phase. One particular pathway of this programme was aimed at meeting the needs of rehabilitation assistants. This article describes how the course meets the demands of the modernization agenda and outlines the challenges faced and future developments. Developments are focussed on short course provision for rehabilitation assistants and a certificate in rehabilitation within the foundation degree framework. Additional support for the transition to learning in the University setting will be offered as part of this provision, to promote access to higher education for this valuable sector of the workforce.