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University Alliance calls for a re-think on university funding

University Alliance today responds to HEPI’s report on the impact on demand of the Government’s reforms of higher education.

Libby Hackett, Chief Executive of University Alliance, said:

“This most recent report from HEPI confirms the fact that demand for full-time higher education continues to grow, in line with growing demand from the economy(1). Graduate employment rates remain high and the number of graduate jobs continues to grow despite the challenging economic climate we face. We are heartened that this message is getting out to school and college leavers who understand the value of a university education but we must ask the more difficult long-term questions about whether the Government’s funding system will allow the sector to grow and diversify in the years to come to meet changing demand.

“This HEPI report confirms the decline in mature and part-time students, which is already threatening our ability to equip our workforce for the future needs of the economy. The UK needs to find better ways to support retraining and development opportunities if we are to compete.

“Unless we start to address these long-term funding questions about sustainability and flexibility, we will not be able to deliver the higher education sector needed to drive our economy, far beyond the existing level of traditional full-time undergraduate places. This report reinforces our call for a fundamental redesign of the funding and regulatory system based on the next 10 to 20 years, not a series of short-term fixes.”

Notes for editor

Press contact: Andrew Henry | 0207 839 2757.

Ref 1. University Alliance report – ‘The way we’ll work’

University Alliance is a non-partisan, non-political organisation working to promote, safeguard and sustain the public benefit delivered by universities together with our members.

Our members are Bournemouth University, University of Bradford, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Coventry University, De Montfort University, Glasgow Caledonian University, University of Greenwich, University of Hertfordshire, University of Huddersfield, Kingston University, University of Lincoln, Liverpool John Moores University, Manchester Metropolitan University, Northumbria University, Nottingham Trent University, Oxford Brookes University, Plymouth University, University of Portsmouth, University of Salford, Sheffield Hallam University, University of South Wales, Teesside University, University of the West of England.

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