Recent statements from UK Government suggests that although the structure and funding of higher education (HE) may change some form of widening participation (WP) is likely to remain a feature of English HE.  At the same time, HE systems in other countries such as Australia are building on the UK experience by expanding participation through focusing on increasing recruitment of those from disadvantaged backgrounds and progression from vocational to higher education (Bradley Review, 2008). Therefore it is timely to assess the strategic management and experience of WP of recent policy initiatives in the UK. The focus of this paper is on the use of vocational qualification routes and regional initiatives such as the Lifelong Learning Networks as mechanisms for accessing HE, specifically research intensive, selecting universities.  This paper draws on empirical research in one research intensive higher education institution (HEI) to ask the research question, how does a research intensive HEI strategically manage the policy and practices of national and regional focused WP activities on the one hand, and international and national institutional distinction in a stratified mass HE system, on the other hand. The paper examines the extent to which in the context of both national and global competitive pressures the institution’s core mission modifies and shapes the nature of the WP activities and impacts on the institutional learning cultures and student’s experiences of teaching and learning.

The theoretical frame is informed by recent studies of vocational entry routes into and through HE, which highlight how enduring patterns of social class entry and progression continue to persist in the context of WP through vocational qualifications. Although there is an extensive literature looking at WP and non-traditional entry into HE, there has been relatively little work that has focused on vocational entry routes into and through HE. One study that attempted to address this gap by examining the patterns of entry and progression by qualification route and the student experience using UK HESA and UCAS data for 2003/4 concluded that ‘A-level qualifications remain the major route into the most prestigious institutions’ (Hoelscher et al., 2008: 142).  Yet, Lifelong Learning Networks were introduced in 2004.  So, what is the current situation regarding patterns of entry and progression?  A recent study for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)(Foster, 2009) also analysed HESA and UCAS data for 2006/7.  Their key findings reflect those found in other studies showing that entry into and progression through HE is highly structured by social class and ethnicity.  In particular, those entering HE through alternative (e.g. vocational qualification) routes tended to go to the less prestigious institutions (see also Archer & Leathwood, 2003, Ball et al., 2002, Ball et al., 2000, Crozier et al., 2008, Reay et al., 2001).  Between 2003/4 and 2007/8 little seems to have changed in terms of the structural distribution of entry routes into HE. Therefore, it is important to examine how selective institutions have responded to the national policy driver to widen participation and inform policy and practice in this area.

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