As part of our evolving advocacy work, GuildHE attended and monitored this year’s political party conferences. This followed hot on the heels of our successful Parliamentary reception, another example of how we are pushing to promote the profile of GuildHE and our members.
Reform UK
My colleague Sunday attended the Reform UK conference and was pleased to see that they are keen to engage on policy and open to debate, demonstrating an emerging readiness for the potential influence they could possibly hold after the next election, if recent polling is to be believed.
Their policy platform is still in early development, but I am working up plans to engage with the party, especially in relation to how they talk about applied HE. This can be supported by case studies from members and unlocking policy barriers, such as Lifelong Learning Entitlement apprenticeships.
It was notable that UUK hosted a well attended fringe. It was interesting that they received some criticism of this from the UCU. Our view is that engagement does not equal endorsement, regardless of party and given their position in the polls, it would be a strategic mistake not to be influencing their emerging policies.
Sunday has written a longer and highly engaging report of her time at the Reform UK conference, which members can view on our website.
Liberal Democrats
There were no fringe meetings on HE in the official programme, which was disappointing and I am actively looking to engage with Liberal Democrats to address this.
From previous policy documents, the party wants a “unified tertiary” approach that bridges “the gap between further education and higher education so colleges and universities can share facilities and co-deliver courses”. It wants to double degree apprenticeships” in areas with skills shortages, with 50% of places reserved for students from low-income households”.
We obviously welcome proposals that strengthen linkages between HE and FE, and provide opportunities for people to gain workplace skills, and especially tackling the issue of NEETs.
On research, the Lib Dems are promising a national network of research hubs “to ensure every region benefits from university-industry collaboration”.
Following our successful LibDem/ sector roundtable, we are exploring opportunities to connect members to the party’s HE spokesperson.
Labour
Labour, on the other hand, had a wide range of HE fringe events, which is perhaps unsurprising for the party of Government. It was great to see that Party members, many of whom have worked in HE, were keen to talk about our issues.
Our CEO, Brooke, spoke on a panel at a fringe launching the Creative Coalition manifesto. She was able to expound on our agenda and link into the Creative HE Strategy that we are developing.
It was, however, disappointing that universities were only mentioned once in Lucy Powell’s speech, which was very focused on schools in the education section. We have good relations with the DfE though, and the Skills Minister, Baroness Smith is addressing our annual conference and had a number of informal conversations with us during Labour Conference, which is an important part of our presence at these events.
NEETs are probably the main issue for the Labour Party more widely, with the final Milburn report due soon, though it has been pushed back to after the Budget. Our members are doing significant work in this area and we are working to promote these efforts.
Other issues covered significantly included research funding, reindustrialisation and AI - where stronger regulation is a massive issue. However, much of the discussion was around short term gains rather than long term investment and reform. Many Delegates talked about their positive experiences of HE at the various fringe meetings, often highlighting the benefits they, and wider society, gained from the distinctive and specialist institutions that they attended.
There are opportunities for our members to show their local value, as, according to a presentation by one pollster, the public perception is of HE being “London based and elitist”.
Conservatives
I attended the Conservative Party Conference, which was an interesting mix of negativity towards parts of HE - “close half of all universities”; “stop spending money on Mickey Mouse courses” - to promising positivity from Shadow Ministers, who largely welcome the wider value of a diverse HE sector.
In discussions I had with sector colleagues and those with an interest in HE, there was broad support for the work of HE across all subjects and specialisms, which echoes what my colleagues found at other conferences.
In summary
This has been a positive conference season for GuildHE and the sector as a whole. Education is one of the key priorities for every party and the wider value of HE is broadly recognised. Our presence in those discussions was welcomed and shifted the focus, by bringing HE and its societal, community and economic value to the front of discussions that would have otherwise been dominated by issues around the business community or charity sector, for example. Of course, there is more work to do. For instance, I am looking at opportunities for our members to engage with the Liberal Democrats, perhaps through a roundtable, creating a wider presence at relevant All Party Groups and ensuring that our issues are actively considered by Select Committees. All of these and more, are on the agenda for GuildHE public affairs.