GuildHE has published a Spending Review submission in advance of the Labour Party Conference. In it, we argue that funding our sector to recognise it as a public good and ensure it can drive economic growth, rebuild our public services and tackle 21st century challenges is vital after years of underfunding. 

Launching our publication Dr Brooke Storer-Church, GuildHE CEO said:  

“Government must invest in our HE sector to drive economic growth, rebuild public services, and tackle 21st century challenges. Protecting and preserving sector diversity is crucial for building the future we all want – a future underpinned by the vocational and technical institutions we represent. These institutions are rooted in their communities and delivering benefits into their industries, local regions, and beyond. These are the priorities we put forward in our SR submission, priorities that will be the focus of our discussions with government going forward.”

Our submission is split into cost-neutral ideas for enhancement and some core funded asks which are grouped under: 

Increase student support 

• Reinstate maintenance grants for students from lower socio-economic groups.
• Ensure that student maintenance loans cover basic student living costs and that all students that need loans are eligible by revising the parental income threshold.
• Increase funding for university mental health services and incentivise a greater collaboration between education providers and the NHS.
• Extend UKRI’s New Deal for Postgraduate Research Students to deliver improved support for all postgraduate taught and research students, irrespective of how they are funded.

Enhance funding for institutions while reviewing systems that jeopardise diversity.

• Protect and enhance specialist institution funding grants informed by a taskforce focused on the sector’s financial sustainability
• Remove the HEIF threshold and reform QR funding to support emergent and consolidating research environments
• Work collaboratively with government departments, regulators of tertiary education and the sector to ensure regulation is effective, proportionate, cost effective and risk-based

Release institutions from TPS liabilities.

• We recommend institutions currently contributing to TPS be released from obligatory ongoing commitments to that pension scheme and allowed to offer alternative, sustainable options

Champion HE institutions as catalysts for local and national growth.

• Implement robust, fair and targeted regional development funding to boost local growth and skills through higher education, business and local government collaboration 
• Commission Skills England to run a mapping exercise to gather evidence on regional needs, innovation capacity and existing capabilities across the UK. 
• Recognise and fund creative and cultural institutions as key drivers of cultural capital, societal wellbeing and higher living standards.

Leverage a diverse range of vocational and technical HE institutions in seeking to develop an impactful national Skills Strategy to tackle 21st century challenges.

• Ensure Skills England and regional skills plans are informed by vocational and specialist HE providers delivering skills to key sectors like education, agriculture, healthcare, the built environment, and the creative arts
• Commit to strategic investment in agri-tech skills and innovation projects
• Reverse cuts to creative arts teaching grant funding

Work directly with HE institutions to develop delivery plans for public sector growth ambitions.

• Introduce a new ministerial cross-government health and education taskforce. 
• Launch an additional financial support system for healthcare and education students.

Secure the Graduate Route visa and ring-fence funding for international collaborative projects for smaller institutions. 

• Maintain and secure the 2-year graduate visa
• Create research funding streams to support international collaborative projects for smaller institutions to broaden the UK’s research ecosystem