UK economy ‘could benefit from more going to university’

Universities UK says educating people of all ages would help to meet economic challenges Full article below via the link here: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/aug/06/uk-economy-could-benefit-from-more-going-to-university Comment 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, […]

Lords criticise ‘unfair’ university fees and loans

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 […]

Quarter of all UK undergraduates are commuter students

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: […]

Value for Money in Higher Education Debate

http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/59041300-32b4-4bed-b6c3-ce7d02982105 An 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 […]

AoC’s response to the Prime Minister’s announcement on the post-18 education and funding review

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 […]

Value for money in higher education: Committee launches inquiry

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 […]

AoC responds to Ofsted

Full article here – https://www.aoc.co.uk/news/aoc-responds- ofsted%E2%80%99s-annual- report Excerpts 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 […]

The Brexit clock is ticking – time for Hammond to boost apprenticeships

Full article here – https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/nov/18/apprenticeships-budget-hammond-skills-shortages-brexit Extracts below. Despite the compelling picture painted in this article, Ray Brogden, COO of Qualifi points out that there is an alternative to the traditional three-year full-time degree and often very high debt associated with tuition fees of £9,250 in addition to maintenance loans. In addition to apprenticeships, including advanced, higher […]