GuildHE congratulates David Willetts on starting his appointment as Minister for Universities and Science for demonstrating the “new politics” in action. Impressively speaking about earlier and local Conservative Liberal co-operation, GuildHE was pleased to hear him highlight a commitment to diversity, to the place of higher skills alongside thought provoking theory as well as the wider benefits of research and the place of higher education institutions within society.

GuildHE, as one of the two formal representative bodies for higher education, speaks for the great diversity in higher education and is familiar with the process of gathering consensus. It strongly supports higher education as an opportunity for life changing experiences for the students who come to its members’ institutions. Higher education has been ahead of others in taking a share of funding cuts this year; with fair support it has capacity to be a real part of the economic solution taking people out of unemployment and giving them 21st century higher skills and opportunity.

In creating coalition within the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, GuildHE calls on David Willetts and Vince Cable to impress on their Treasury counterparts the poor economy of selling short this current generation of ambitious young people and future tax payers, who have the capacity but may be denied the chance of a place in higher education this year. 

For more information, please contact:

Alice Hynes
GuildHE Chief Executive
Tel: 020 7387 7711
Email: alice.hynes@guildhe.ac.uk

Notes to editors

1. Read David Willetts’ speech here

2. GuildHE members are among the most dynamic and fastest-growing institutions in higher education. For a list of GuildHE institutions, please click here