Maddalaine Ansell, Chief Executive of University Alliance, welcomed the publication of the HE Green Paper which was announced by the Universities Minister Jo Johnson today.
She said: “We will only achieve the highly skilled workforce this country needs – and give everyone a stake in its success – if universities are truly open to all who can benefit. We welcome the Government’s commitment to support more people from disadvantaged backgrounds to access, and succeed within, higher education. But this does come at a cost. If this is not recognised in the forthcoming spending review, today’s commitment is just empty words.
“As institutions that are above benchmark for both recruiting and retaining widening participation students, we are pleased this will be recognized in the TEF. Our success in achieving great outcomes for all our students comes in part from our strong links with industry and the professions. We will continue to develop these – including by creating new Degree Apprenticeships.
“We also pride ourselves on using our world-leading research to enrich our teaching. We welcome the commitment to the dual support system. This makes our system dynamic and promotes innovation. While we recognise the value of reducing the cost of participating in the REF, any simplification must not introduce concentration by the back door.”
