General HE policy

Read blogs from members across the University Alliance and from the UA policy team

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  1. Delivering one of the world’s first Degree Apprenticeships in Midwifery

    Professional and technical universities educate approximately 1 in 3 midwives and specialise in innovative provision such as degree apprenticeships. In our latest ‘Innovators’ blog, Sue Lawrence, Senior Lecturer in Midwifery at the University of Greenwich writes about how her institution innovated by developing one of the country’s first degree apprenticeships in Midwifery. “Back in 2019, […]

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    Sue Lawrence
  2. Collaboration and the social dimension at the heart of innovation

    Professional and technical universities like those across the Alliance have great links to the creative industries – but creative graduates often find the transition to employment difficult. Dr Edward McCaffrey, Senior Lecturer in Film Production at Middlesex University writes about how he worked collaboratively to boost employability prospects for creative arts graduates. “When I started thinking […]

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    Dr Eddie McCaffrey
  3. Collaboration will be key in delivering the NHS Workforce Plan

    Today (5 July) marks the 75th anniversary of the National Health Service. With the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan announced last week, Dr Denise Baker, Pro Vice-Chancellor Dean of the College of Health, Psychology and Social Care at the University of Derby, and Chair of the University Alliance Deans of Health Group, discusses what measures […]

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    Dr Denise Baker
  4. Lifelong Loan Entitlement: opportunities for learners, choices for universities?

    Since the government consultation response to the new Lifelong Loan Entitlement (LLE) was published in March this year, the higher education sector has had a chance to let the news sink in. Now it’s time to reflect on what the next steps might be. The introduction of the LLE has been long anticipated and was […]

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  5. “We need to highlight how rewarding a career in health can be”

    Professor Ross Renton, Principal at ARU Peterborough writes about his institution’s approach to developing a skilled healthcare workforce for local needs. Skills needs ARU Peterborough as an institution has been specifically designed to target local skills needs, co-creating the curriculum with employers. That crosses a wealth of areas in the sciences, business and engineering, but […]

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    Ross Renton
  6. Four reasons why Universities should be at the heart of the NHS Long-Term Workforce Plan

    Dr Denise Baker, Chair of the Deans of Health Network at University Alliance, comments on how universities can help the Government and the NHS deliver the health and social care workforce of the future. “We know that many of the issues the NHS currently faces are workforce-related. There are 130,000 vacancies in England, 46,000 of […]

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    Dr Denise Baker
  7. In conversation with business leaders: here’s what SMEs like mine need from the Chancellor

    Tell us about your business, and how you began developing it. After 20 years working in executive search and interim management in London and Asia, I’d reached a stage where I needed a new challenge. Setting up my own firm was the logical next step. Chater Smart is an executive recruitment firm partnering with clients […]

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  8. #WeAreInternational blog: Sadaf Akbari

    Sadaf’s prize-winning innovative tissue engineering research An international PhD student at Kingston University whose research could help address the global organ donor shortage took home the top prize in this year’s national Vitae Three Minute Thesis competition. Sadaf Akbari, who is of Iranian heritage and grew up in Dubai, was awarded the prestigious academic trophy […]

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    Sadaf