Report
Date: 8 August 2023
Summary
Sandwich courses can help reduce equality gaps, but disadvantaged students are less likely to enrol in them – this research maps out barriers and solutions for students participating in sandwich courses.
Addressing gaps in the participation of sandwich courses
Evidence shows that there are persistent equality gaps in the employment outcomes and earning potential of students from widening participation backgrounds compared to their more advantaged peers. In a rapid evidence review, TASO has identified sandwich courses as a potential avenue for helping to reduce these equality gaps.
Sandwich courses are typically defined as a student alternating between classroom instruction, full-time placements in industry and part-time work experience alongside their degree course. ‘Thick’ sandwich courses involve a single lengthy placement, such as a year, while ‘thin’ sandwich courses involve several shorter placements spread through the course of a degree.
The TASO review found that graduates who took a sandwich course, with some time in employment, went on to earn around £6,000 more than the average full-time student three years after graduation. Sandwich courses were found to reduce gaps in employment outcomes for disadvantaged students, producing lower levels of disparity in employment outcomes between widening participation and non-widening participation graduates compared to traditional taught degrees.
However, existing research shows that widening participation students are less likely to enrol in a sandwich course, when compared to their peers.
To inform future impact evaluation of sandwich courses, TASO commissioned research to explore students’ experiences, mapping out the barriers to, and potential solutions for, students from widening participation backgrounds accessing and succeeding on sandwich courses.
This report sets out the key findings of the research, along with recommendations for a sector-level response to ensure widening participation students are well supported in their sandwich course choices.