Universities face more pressure to change with Andy Burnham as PM, sector told

Ellie Ng, Press Association Education Correspondent

The pressure on universities to change “will only increase” with Andy Burnham as Prime Minister, a university sector chief has suggested.

It comes as the value of higher education is increasingly being questioned, Professor Malcolm Press, president of Universities UK, told the organisation’s annual conference on Thursday.

He said many concerns are “unfair or unfounded” but admitted there are “grains of truth” which cannot be dismissed, and which the sector must respond to by showing how it adapts and improves.

Prof Press told the conference: “The Government expects universities to change more quickly than perhaps we have done in the past – there’s a strong desire for us to go further and to go faster.

“I sense that this pressure will only increase with Andy Burnham in No 10.”

Mr Burnham pledged in a speech during his bid for the Labour leadership that the “days of a school system configured entirely around the university route will be brought to an end” by boosting technical pathways available to pupils.

Prof Press said: “We know that some people increasingly question the value of higher education and the contribution that universities make.

“Many of these concerns are either unfair or unfounded, in which case we should push back with confidence and clarity.

“But where there are grains of truth, we cannot afford to simply dismiss concerns out of hand.

“We must respond by demonstrating how universities continue to adapt, improve, and deliver for society, and for the students who invest significant amounts of money, time and trust in their education.”

He named graduate employment, earnings, value for money and admissions standards as areas over which universities are being scrutinised.

The professor, who is also vice-chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University, said supporting the sector cannot always mean defending it.

“Sometimes our responsibility is to challenge one another, confront behaviour that falls short of our shared values, and take action ourselves rather than wait for others to do it for us,” he added.

He called for a partnership framework between governments and universities, saying the Government must provide greater stability in funding as well as support when universities need to undertake major changes.

Skills minister Baroness Jacqui Smith told the conference Mr Burnham has a “strong interest in higher education” and that the Government does not want to put people off going to university.

“I want more young people to go to university, and I want more young people to do apprenticeships,” she said.

The minister added: “The Prime Minister has championed place-based policies that closely consider communities’ circumstances.

“That means universities, colleges, local leaders and employers working together to understand the opportunities in their area, and giving local people the skills and experience needed to take those opportunities.

“I’m talking about employers helping to shape courses, students gaining meaningful work experience, and workers being able to develop new skills as industries change.”

She said the Government has given universities a “toolkit” by creating higher technical qualifications and enabling students to get funding for modular study as well as full courses.

“I want to see universities working locally in partnership to put that toolkit to work,” Baroness Smith added.

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