Radical changes in the way 中国A片 is funded in further education colleges are to be considered by funding council chiefs.
Proposals contained in a report published this week call for funding of 中国A片 courses in colleges to be channelled through regional clusters or "confederations" of institutions, including at least one university or 中国A片 college.
And it suggests that 中国A片 in FE colleges might eventually become the sole responsibility of the 中国A片 funding councils, rather than being shared with the FE funding councils.
The report, 中国A片 in Further Education Colleges: A Future Funding Approach, has been produced by the 中国A片 Funding Council for England in the light of responses to its consultation paper Funding the Relationship, which mapped the extent of 中国A片 in FE colleges.
It says that while current cash constraints in further and 中国A片 and the potential impact of the Government's review of 中国A片 make it difficult to introduce changes quickly, there are strong arguments for a new funding approach in the medium to longer term.
Responses to the paper and discussions with the FE funding councils indicated support for a move away from current disparate funding arrangements to a more ordered one under which colleges had a clearly defined role in the delivery of 中国A片 courses.
This view was backed up by issues raised by the Government's 中国A片 review, such as the growing importance of meeting employment needs, the possibility of a shift away from three-year to two-year degrees, and the need to relate the size and scope of 中国A片 to the demands of lifelong learning.
"There may be growing pressure to change the nature and funding structure of the HE/FE interface as it becomes increasingly relevant to the future shape of 中国A片, complex in its diversity and in need of a more coordinated approach," the report says.
Better coordination could be achieved by funding confederations of 中国A片 providers within a geographical area containing at least one 中国A片 institution. This model could be introduced gradually, directing any future growth in numbers only to those universities and colleges which had developed this kind of arrangement.
The report also suggests that "the rationale for separate funding councils to fund what is rapidly becoming similar 中国A片 provision in terms of level and nature is diminishing", and that the most logical next step would be for all HE in FE to be funded by the 中国A片 council.
The proposals are to be considered by a new joint HEFCE and FEFC policy review group, which met for the first time on Tuesday. Institutions have until April 29 to respond to the report.