Universities UK says educating people of all ages would help to meet economic challengesFull article below via the link here:https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/aug/06/uk-economy-could-benefit-from-more-going-to-universityComment on and exerts from the article here:Ray Brogden, COO of Qualifi Awarding would like to point out Vocationally Related Qualifications, including those at HE levels in addition to those listed below, such as the Qualifi Cyber Security...Read More

High interest rates on student loans should be cut from 6 per cent to 1.5 per cent to prevent middle-earning graduates from paying back more, the House of Lords economic affairs committee said.The report from the committee argued that the higher education system offers poor value for money to students and the taxpayer, and that...Read More

The tuition fee system for England’s universities is ripping off students and giving taxpayers poor value for money, says a parliamentary committee.The House of Lords economic affairs committee attacked a “deeply unfair” system of fees and loans.Committee chairman and former Conservative minister, Lord Forsyth, said they had also been “quite astonished by the complete collapse...Read More

Research by The Sutton Trust charity based on data from all students in the UK shows around a quarter of all undergraduates are commuter students.The cost of going to university further away is identified as one of the main reasons for choosing to be a commuter student.Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust, said: “In the...Read More

In response to the publication of the OfS regulatory framework, David Hughes, Chief Executive of the Assoiation of Colleges, said: “The publication of the OfS regulatory framework is an important step in the reform programme this Government is making in HE and I welcome the changes made from the draft on the back of our recommendations. I...Read More

http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/59041300-32b4-4bed-b6c3-ce7d02982105An interesting and enlightening discussion with thought-provoking contributions from a diverse group of representatives from FE and HE organisations. Alice Barnard of the Edge Foundation provided a great deal of constructive commentary regarding the wider issues facing the sector as well as observations about its future and actions that could and should be considered in...Read More

In response to the Prime Minister’s announcement on the education and funding review, David Hughes, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges, said:“The growth in higher education numbers and the widened access has almost exclusively been for young people taking traditional three-year undergraduate degrees. Colleges play an important part in helping young people access these opportunities…However,...Read More

Full article here – http://www.bbc.com/news/education-43106736Extracts belowMrs May, announcing the year-long review of student finance and university funding, will warn that the system has failed to deliver sufficient competition on price – with almost all courses being charged at the maximum £9,250 per year.Education Secretary Damian Hinds said he wants “more variety” in the level of fees, rather...Read More

Qualifi Awarding Organisation awaits with interest the outcome of the next stage of the Education Committee inquiry into value for money in higher education. With just 35% of respondents believing their HE experience represented “good” or “very good” value for money and the number of students saying their university was “poor” or “very poor” value...Read More

Full article here – https://www.aoc.co.uk/news/aoc-responds- ofsted%E2%80%99s-annual- reportExcerpts below:David Hughes, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges, said “We agree with the Chief Inspector that action must be taken on post-16 funding. My concern going forward is that the funding cuts have made it enormously challenging to manage and lead colleges successfully. The 22% lower funding per student...Read More