Extending opportunity & unlocking talent

The UK is facing many long-term, difficult challenges. They include the need to improve economic productivity; to enhance, broaden and deliver a highly skilled workforce; and to ensure public money is spent effectively and efficiently.

Smaller, regionally focused and specialist institutions make a significant contribution to the diverse HE sector needed to address those challenges. They offer specialist training in key disciplines as well as in the qualifications they deliver, with several primarily serving postgraduates or focused on higher-level technical skills including apprenticeships.

These institutions are integral to our national prosperity and productivity, because:

  • They are founded with an ethos of widening opportunities thus help support a fairer society
  • They possess strong links to specific industries or regions, many of which are facing skills gaps
  • They significantly contribute to the UK’s higher-level technical skills
  • They enable those re-entering the workforce while pursuing a career to enhance their skills base

See the chapter: Social Mobility and Educational Diversity

 

See other key messages: