Willetts sets out vision for HE

14 Jun 2010

Offering external degrees and employers accessing higher education through FE colleges were two of the key challenges identified by David Willetts, the new Universities and Science Minister last week.

Speaking at Oxford Brookes University on Thursday 10 June, Willetts proposed the creation of new teaching institutions which would deliver external degrees comparing this provision to the external University of London degrees offered around the country up to 1949.

In his first major policy pronouncement since coming into post, Willetts also suggested that institutions should publish “employability statements” about their courses, gave a warning about the financial state of HE, stressed that widening participation and social mobility were still very much a priority and that there should be a greater focus on teaching.

He also dropped in a very encouraging statement about the progression for apprentices saying "One way to improve the popularity and rigour of apprenticeships is for them to be seen as a possible route into university."

In a reference to the Browne Review commissioned by the previous government and due to report in the autumn, Willetts said: "Once Lord Browne has reported, I want to ensure three things. That students enjoy a better university experience, particularly through a greater focus on teaching. That universities have more robust funding arrangements. And that we have a fiscally sustainable HE system. Nor must we forget the important objectives of widening participation and social mobility."