NCUB Responds To Post-16 White Paper

Dr Joe Marshall, Chief Executive of NCUB

Today’s White Paper rightly recognises that the UK needs a tertiary system that is coherent, connected and confident — one that brings universities, colleges and businesses together to equip people with the skills our economy truly needs.

We support the ambition for greater alignment between further and higher education, and for stronger employer engagement in shaping provision. We welcome the commitment to raise tuition fees over the coming two academic years by inflation, and plans for legislation to make this a permanent step. However, while we recognise and support the reintroduction of the maintenance grant to support university access to lower income students, the new levy on international students levy could undo the positive steps from inflation-indexed increases in tuition fees.

We also have concerns over tying future increases in fees to teaching quality. Indeed, the UK already has robust mechanisms in place — through the Office for Students and other quality assurance frameworks — to ensure that higher education providers meet rigorous standards. It is therefore unclear what additional benefit such measures would target.

Skills reform is economic reform. Businesses cannot compete globally without a pipeline of adaptable, higher-level skills. This White Paper must be the start of a decade-long national mission — one that matches accountability with ambition, and that makes the UK the best place in the world to learn, work and innovate. We look forward to working with the Government in this endeavour, through our role in championing university-business collaboration.