Industrial strategy, cashpoint colleges, social mobility
This week on the podcast we examine the government’s new industrial strategy and what it really means for higher education – from regional clusters and research funding to skills bootcamps and spin-out support.Will the plans finally integrate universities into the UK’s economic future, or is this another case of policy promises outpacing delivery?Plus we discuss the franchising scandal and the damning case for urgent reform, and ask whether new research on social mobility challenges the sector’s claims about access, aspiration, and advancement.With Katie Normington, Vice Chancellor at De Montfort University, Johnny Rich, Chief Executive at the Engineering Professors’ Council and Push, James Coe, Associate Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Mark Leach, Editor-in-Chief at Wonkhe.Higher education and the industrial strategy priority areasThe cashpoint campus comeback franchising, fraud, and the failure to learn from the FE experienceOn the move: how young people’s mobility responds to and reinforces geographical inequalitiesInequalities in Access to Professional Occupations Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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39:31
Free speech guidance, R&D
This week on the podcast we examine the Office for Students' new free speech guidance as controversial requirements prepare to take effect from August 1st. What do the "deeply disturbing" YouGov findings about academic self-censorship really tell us, and how should universities navigate campus protests and challenging research topics?Plus we discuss outgoing UKRI chief Ottoline Leyser's stark warning about "inevitable consolidation" in university research.With Mark Peace, Professor of Innovation in Education at King's College London, Arti Saraswat, Senior Policy Manager for Higher Education at the Association of Colleges, Livia Scott, Partnerships Coordinator at Wonkhe, and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.Will guidance on freedom of speech help the staff who fear physical attack for expressing their views?Prevent data, 2023-24We need a better quality of conversation about education and the skills agenda for the screen industries Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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41:28
Spending review, Tooling Up, REF, students at work
This week on the podcast we examine the government's spending review and what it means for higher education. How will the £86bn R&D commitment translate into real-terms funding, and why was higher education notably absent from the Chancellor's priorities?Plus we discuss the Post-18 Project's call to fundamentally reshape HE policy away from market competition, the startling new REF rules, and the striking rise in student term-time working revealed by the latest Student Academic Experience Survey.With Stephanie Harris, Director of Policy at Universities UK, Ben Vulliamy, Executive Director at the Association of Heads of University Administration, Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe, Michael Salmon, News Editor at Wonkhe, and presented by Mark Leach, Editor-in-Chief at Wonkhe.Tooling up: Building a new economic mission for higher educationInvesting for the long term often loses out to pensioner powerWhat’s in the spending review for higher educationThe student experience is beyond breaking pointHow to assess anxious, time-poor students in a mass ageREF is about institutions not individuals Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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42:22
Efficiency, EDI, speed
This week on the podcast we examine Universities UK's efficiency and transformation taskforce report. What do shared back-office services, federation models and subject cold spots tell us about the sector's financial pressures?Plus we discuss Research England's new EDI action plan, and explore whether the UK's rapid three-year degree model is harming student wellbeing and learning outcomes.With Rille Raaper, Associate Professor in Sociology of Higher Education at Durham University, Jess Lister, Director (Education) at Public First, Mack Marshall, Community and Policy Officer at Wonkhe SUs, and presented by Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor at Wonkhe.Our drop-out and pace miracle is harming students’ health and learningUniversities UK’s new era of collaborationFixing the potholes in postgraduate fundingThe spending review is a critical moment for UK science and innovationThere are better politics, big ideas, and future trade-offs in Research England’s new EDI action plan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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48:55
Governance, apprenticeships, trends
This week on the podcast we examine the OfS penalty imposed on Leeds Trinity over subcontractual partnerships oversight. What does the £115,000 fine and a new proposed code of “ethical” governance tell us about decision-making at the top? Plus we discuss the government's decision to axe level 7 apprenticeships from levy funding, and explore incoming OfS chair Edward Peck's ten trends shaping the future of campus universities.With Alex Stanley, Vice President for Higher Education at the National Union of Students, Pam Macpherson Barrett, Head of Policy and Regulation at the University of Leeds, David Kernohan, Associate Editor at Wonkhe and presented by Mark Leach, Editor-in-Chief at Wonkhe.Poor quality teaching and student outcomes. But where?The new OfS chair identifies ten trendsA code of ethical university governance is overdueShould governance reform be horizontal or vertical? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Every week the Wonkhe team and guests from across higher education dissect the week's big policy developments, and we also feature interviews, features and views from around the sector. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
UK