A thriving Britain needs a thriving higher education system to drive it.
In response to the publication of Robbins Rebooted by the Social Market Foundation in which Shadow Universities Minister Liam Byrne sets out his vision for the future of Higher Education, Prof Steve West, Chair of University Alliance, welcomed this timely addition to the higher education debate.
He said:
“We agree that a thriving Britain needs a thriving higher education system to drive it and that investing in the UK’s knowledge economy is the only way to promote sustainable growth and prosperity.
“As Robbins Rebooted recognises, access is not just about getting young people into elite universities. There is so much more positive work that is going on right across the higher education sector, especially by Alliance universities, and it is essential that this work is supported if we are to avoid leaving whole swathes of the population behind.
“Mr Byrne also recognises there is already a rich existing infrastructure delivering world-class research. We would urge any policy development to look to existing excellence within the system. Alliance universities have complementary strengths – recognising where these lie and rewarding these accordingly will ensure that improvements to the system are just that, and will avoid the risk of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.”
