The deadline for this has now passed.

TASO is seeking to commission a supplier to explore the mechanisms through which sandwich courses have an impact on students’ outcomes. As part of this exploratory research, we would like the selected supplier to identify the barriers Widening Participation (WP) students face in accessing and benefiting from courses that involve a work experience placement (or “sandwich courses”). Furthermore, we want to assess the potential for interventions that could address the barriers observed.

Therefore, TASO is looking to commission a supplier to:

  • deliver primary research to a) explore equality gaps in uptake of sandwich courses and placements within sandwich courses; b) assess how messaging on sandwich courses (information about course structure, benefits etc.) influences decisions made by WP students’ about whether or not to pursue these courses
  • build a theory of change (TOC) that sets out the mechanisms through which sandwich courses can be used to improve employability outcomes for WP students
  • make recommendations as to which approaches are promising to increase uptake of sandwich courses among WP students

How to apply

To find out more about the project and details on how to apply, read the full invitation to tender document (ITT) here.

The deadline for applications to take part in this project is midday on Monday 26th September 2022. If you have any questions, you can get in touch with the team at research@taso.org.uk.

Document accessibility: TASO is committed to making all documents accessible for all audiences. If you have any difficulty accessing the links or documents, or need these resources in another format, please email info@taso.org.uk.