On Monday 20 October the government published the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper. GuildHE's Chief Executive Officer responded:
GuildHE strongly welcomes the White Paper's recognition of our sector's specialist strengths and diversity, demonstrated by our members' proven record of delivering distinctive, high-quality provision. The commitments to increase financial support for institutions and students are crucial steps towards supporting our sector to boost opportunity and economic growth. I am also delighted to have been invited to sit on the newly formed Higher Education Access and Participation Task and Finish Group, announced yesterday.
Making this vision a success hinges on the details. A more joined-up system requires reforms to regulation so that it actively incentivises meaningful collaboration and reduces differential burdens to enable all institutions to participate in regional partnership work. Funding methodologies and regulatory systems need to evolve to protect specialists and unlock the power of specialisation promoted in the White Paper. We look forward to working closely with Government in the months ahead to deliver the vision of this paper.
Dr Brooke Storer-Church, Chief Executive Officer