Andy Westwood, GuildHE CEO, said,

“OFFA is an important part of the higher education sector and we support both it and the appointment of Prof Les Ebdon as its new Director. All universities and higher education institutions are committed to the principles of fair access including GuildHE members so much of the commentary that followed the BIS Select Committee’s decision not to endorse his appointment was both ill-informed and ill-judged.

“Furthermore, the attacks on OFFA, Les Ebdon and on the HE sector as a whole were unacceptable. Put simply, the UK needs all of the universities and colleges in its diverse higher education sector and all institutions need to seek out, recruit and retain the best and brightest students. OFFA’s role is to ensure that this happens and to monitor the performance of institutions against targets that they set themselves. Both Vince Cable and David Willetts understand this role and deserve credit for selecting Prof Ebdon and confirming his appointment today.

“We look forward to working with Les Ebdon and OFFA in this important role.”

For more information and comment:
Andy Westwood
Tel: 020 7387 7711
Email: andy.westwood@guildhe.ac.uk 

Notes to editors
1. GuildHE is a recognised higher education representative body. For a list of GuildHE institutions, please visit: https://www.guildhe.ac.uk/en/members-list/ 
2. The full statement from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is at https://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/Detail.aspx?ReleaseID=423368&NewsAreaID=2 
3. GuildHE is on Twitter @guildhe and @guildheceo.