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The latest announcements, press releases and media coverage from University Alliance.

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  1. University Alliance responds to DfE’s Advanced British Standard consultation

    March 20, 2024

    University Alliance have published their response to the Department for Education’s Advanced British Standard consultation. Summary University Alliance is broadly supportive of the aims of the Advanced British Standard (ABS). As professional and technical universities, we see equal value in both academic and vocational subjects and do not believe students should be forced down one route or another. We also agree that all students need good litera…

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  2. University Alliance responds to the Office for Students’ free speech complaints scheme consultation

    March 11, 2024

    University Alliance has published their response to the Office for Students’ consultation on their free speech complaints scheme. Summary The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 requires the Office for Students (OfS) to operate a free speech complaints scheme. It is imperative that this new scheme runs as effectively and efficiently as possible, ensuring a transparent, fair, and objective process for both complainants and respondents an…

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  3. University Alliance writes to Chancellor with cost-neutral recommendations to safeguard technical education   

    November 20, 2023

    Ahead of the Autumn statement, University Alliance has warned the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt of ‘serious financial challenges’ that present a significant risk of ‘a two-tier university system emerging’. Vanessa Wilson, CEO of University Alliance wrote to the Chancellor suggesting several low-cost or cost-neutral policies to ensure professional and technical universities can continue to excel in high-quality skills provision. Vanessa Wilson said: “The…

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  4. University Alliance welcomes House of Lords report on inquiry into the Office for Students

    September 13, 2023

    The House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee has today released a report on their inquiry into the Higher Education regulator the Office for Students (OfS). The inquiry followed calls for a review into the Office for Students earlier this year by a coalition of university mission groups, including University Alliance. The report, entitled “Must do better: the Office for Students and the looming crisis facing higher education”, criticises …

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  5. University Alliance responds to the Department for Education’s release on Higher Education reform

    July 17, 2023

    Today (Monday 17 July) the Department of Education have released their response to a consultation on Higher Education reform, alongside comments from the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Education. Responding to the release, Vanessa Wilson, CEO of University Alliance, said: “The UK’s university system is one of the best and most successful in the world. We have the lowest dropout rates in the whole of the OECD, and graduates report consi…

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  6. University Alliance responds to OfS consultation on sexual harassment and misconduct

    May 4, 2023

    University Alliance responds to the OfS consultation on sexual harassment and misconduct, stating that while they strongly agree that all higher education students should be protected from sexual harassment and misconduct, a new registration condition is not the best way of achieving this. Their preferred response would be for the OfS to monitor compliance with a renewed Statement of Expectations for Preventing and Addressing Harassment and Sexua…

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  7. University Alliance responds to OfS announcement on degree apprenticeships development fund

    March 30, 2023

    University Alliance CEO Vanessa Wilson responded to today’s announcement on the guidance received by the Office for Students from Secretary of State for Education Gillian Keegan, to include a £40m degree apprenticeships development fund as part of the 2023-24 Higher Education Strategic Priorities Grant. Wilson said: “Degree apprenticeships are increasingly one of the most popular and competitive higher education options, and rightly so. They offe…

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  8. HE mission groups call for inquiry into the Office for Students

    January 16, 2023

    Signed by four key mission groups within higher education, including University Alliance, the Russell Group has sent a letter to the Chair of the Education Committee Robin Walker MP, to call for a review of the Office for Students. On the fifth year since its establishment, the mission groups strongly recommend an investigation into the OfS, to ensure that it is fulfilling its role and responsibilities within the sector as a fully independent reg…

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  9. University Alliance responds to OfS consultations on TEF, student outcomes and the construction of indicators

    March 16, 2022

    Government proposals on quality in higher education could ‘wreak havoc on the levelling up agenda’: University Alliance responds to Office for Students consultations University Alliance [UA] has today [Wednesday 16 March 2022] responded to three consultations launched by the Office for Students [OfS] on 20 January 2022. The consultations sought views on a range of proposals relating to the way quality in university teaching is measured and regula…

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  10. University Alliance responds to government announcements on PQA and LLE reforms

    February 24, 2022

    Responding to the announcements today from the Department for Education around Post-Qualification Admissions and the Lifelong Loan Entitlement proposals, University Alliance CEO Vanessa Wilson said: “We are pleased to see that our concerns were heeded concerning the proposed Post-Qualification Admissions reform. Moving to this model would have been disruptive and costly, forcing students to make potentially life-changing decisions in a short spac…

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