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Press release

Challenges and opportunities ahead for higher education in further education colleges

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A conference to reflect on the success of higher education in further education colleges and the challenging future ahead was held by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) last week.

Over 160 delegates attended ‘Higher Education Further: Looking forward: policy, strategy and practice’ to explore the current and rapidly changing environment facing the higher education in further education sector.

Gillian Hayes, Deputy Director of Reviews at QAA and Chair of QAA’s Higher Education in Further Education Colleges’ Liaison Group, said: ‘This conference has been a great success and offered staff from both higher education institutions and colleges the chance to come together and discuss the challenges ahead and reflect on the outstanding success of the last few years with some of the key policy makers.

‘The issue of future funding was understandably a key focus of concern raised by delegates during the Question Time-style panel. In addition to the challenges facing UK higher education wherever it is delivered, colleges face a substantial amount of change. There is a need for colleges to turn potential threats into opportunities to make sure that they are giving their students a good learning experience.’

Michele Sutton OBE, QAA Board member and Principal of Bradford College, said: ‘This event has been extremely interesting and has demonstrated how HE in FE has grown – one in eight higher education students in the UK, around 180,000, now study in further education colleges.

‘One of the key successes of HE in FE is its immense contribution to widening participation and widening access, and the way it responds to the broad diversity of backgrounds and prior attainment of the students we attract.’

Ends

Notes to editors

For further information and interview requests please contact:
Katie Sharrock, Public Relations Officer, on 01452 557074 or k.sharrock@qaa.ac.uk

  1. Gillian Hayes and Michele Sutton discuss these issues in the latest podcast with QAA’s Student Engagement Officer, Derfel Owen. Listen to the podcast at www.qaa.ac.uk/podcasts/HEinFE2010.mp3

  2. The Question Time-style panel was chaired by John Peart from the National Union of Students and included Anthony McClaran, QAA’s Chief Executive; John Selby, HEFCE’s Director of Education and Participation; Jane Pither, the Higher Education Academy’s Chief Operating Officer; and John Widdowson, member of the Association of Colleges’ Board.

  3. A summary of the event and presentations will be published on the QAA website shortly.

  4. QAA checks how UK universities and colleges maintain the academic standards and quality of their higher education courses. We review and report on how they meet their responsibilities, identify good practice and make recommendations for improvement. We publish guidelines to help UK universities and colleges develop effective systems to ensure students have the best learning experience.

  5. Organised jointly by the Higher Education Academy and QAA on behalf of QAA’s Higher Education in Further Education Colleges Liaison Group, the conference brought together senior policy makers and strategists from higher and further education. The conference took place on 29 January 2010 at BMA House, Tavistock Square, London.

 

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