Alison Fuller is Professor of Education and Work, and Head of the Lifelong and Work-Related Learning Research Centre at the University of Southampton. Her research interests include: apprenticeship and vocational education, changing patterns of participation in education and training; education – work transitions, and workplace learning. Alison has been commissioned to undertake research on these topics for a variety of organisations including the ESRC, Equality and Human Rights Commission, EU Leonardo programme, Learning and Skills Council, and Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Lifelong Learning Network.

Her latest project, being undertaken with Jill Turbin, Lorna Unwin, David Guile and Julie Wintrup, on ‘technician roles in the healthcare sector’ has been commissioned by the Gatsby Foundation. Alison’s most recent books, both published by Routledge, are Rethinking Widening Participation in Higher Education; the role of social networks (with Sue Heath and Brenda Johnston) and Improving Working as Learning (with Alan Felstead, Lorna Unwin and Nick Jewson). She served as a member of the UK Commission on Employment and Skill’s Expert Panel and as Specialist Advisor to the House of Commons Department for Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Select Committee’s scrutiny of the Apprenticeships Bill.

Alison has also contributed evidence on apprenticeships and skill to the Department for Education Select Committee inquiry in to the ‘raising of the participation age’, to the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee on Apprenticeship and to the Skills Commission’s recent inquiry into technician education. Alison is also co-director of the multi-disciplinary Work Futures Research Centre at the University of Southampton (www.soton.ac.uk/wfrc) and is a project leader in the ESRC LLAKES Research Centre (www.llakes.org).