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Speech: Minister Halfon's speech at the Times Higher Education conference

Department For Education

December 7
14:01 2023

Times Higher Education is such an important voice for the sector, and Im delighted to be speaking to you again.

I want to start with a personal story about my relationship with higher education.

I was born with a form of cerebral palsy, spastic diplegia. The doctors told my father Id never be able do anything - to walk, live independently or, for example, go to university.

Thanks to a Great Ormond Street doctor, I did learn to walk and went on to do things no one would have predicted - included going to university. I never imagined Id be able to walk or cycle up the steep hills of Exeter, but I did. Going to university was the greatest time of my life. I greatly enjoyed getting my degree, and then staying on to do a masters.

My experience taught me not just to highly value higher education - but to cherish it.

A sector to be proud of

Im proud that Britain has some of the best universities in the world.

4 in the top 10, and 17 in the top 100. Students travel from over 200 nations to study here. And our universities lead the world in producing valuable research:

We rank 1st in the G7 for publications impact.

We also have excellent technical and vocational universities, which are expanding the concept of degree education. They are equipping students with premium skills for high-powered jobs, and collaborating with further education to deliver sought-after degree apprenticeships.

And data released today shows that were flinging wide the doors to university like never before. Thanks to the commitment youve shown to access and participation, disadvantaged English 18-year-olds are now 74% more likely to enter higher education than they were in 2010.

I want to congratulate everyone in this room for their contribution to the picture Ive described: the deans, lecturers, admissions tutors - all the academic teaching and research staff. And I also want to thank all those who arent in the room, but are just as important to making a university successful: the support staff, administrators, student counsellors and caterers. Everything that all of you do has made this sector what it is today.

I recognise the financial pressures universities are under and appreciate the work you are doing to manage these and deliver outstanding outcomes for young people.

Were working in a very challenging financial context across government. This means we must continue to make tough decisions to control public spending - but also try to help students with the cost-of-living, and ensure they receive value-for-money.

Beveridges 5 Giants

Last year I laid out my 3 aims for higher education: jobs, skills and social justice.

This year, to look to the future, I want to first look back to December 1942.

Twentieth Century historians among you will recognise the year that Sir William Beveridge published his report on Britains social ills. As you will know, the Beveridge report went on to become the founding document for the welfare state.

Beveridge described 5 giants that were standing in the way of the nations progress.

They were idleness, ignorance, disease, squalor and want.

Although the report was a blueprint for social security, Beveridge also acknowledges the evilshe considered just as bad as income, housing or healthcare deficits.

Namely, lack of education and employment.

Beveridge described ignorance as something no democracy can afford among its citizens, and idleness as a force that destroys wealth and corrupts men, whether they are well fed or not.

My 5 Giants

So taking my cue from Beveridge, I want to talk about my 5 giants the 5 challenges I believehigher education faces in this decade and beyond.

They are higher education reforms, HE disruptors, degree apprenticeships, the lifelong learning entitlement and artificial intelligence and the fourth industrial revolution.

I will end by talking about an unwelcome shift in culture on campus this autumn,and what we must do about it.

HE reform

I want to start with our ongoing higher education reforms, and the challenge they present to universities.

The sector has evolved in the last 25 years to a widely-accessed, fee-paying model.Data from the Office for Students shows that students overwhelmingly progress to good employment, further study or other positive outcomes. However, government has a duty to monitor provision funded by tuition fees, to ensure that students receive value-for-money from the finance it provides and which they must eventually pay back.

Jobs, skills and social justice are what drives our higher education reforms. By legislating on what courses should cost and the outcomes students should expect, we are ensuring the sustainability and efficacy of the market. The challenge is for institutions to anticipate student needs and outcomes, and adapt their courses accordingly.

One example is checking the rapid rise in foundation years in classroom-based subjects, such as business and management. We were concerned that lower delivery cost, rather than student need,was driving this growth. Thats why weve announced that from next year, we will reduce the maximum tuition fees and loans for foundation years in classroom-based subjects to 5,760.

This lower fee limit represents a fairer deal for students.

I believe this comes back to social justice.

Im glad to say that we have the highest completion rate in the OECD.

But all courses that cost this much should have good continuation, completion and progression.

Why should only those in-the-know, who apply for the right courses, go on to reap the greatest rewards from their HE investment? While others paying the same money receive poorer teaching with poorer outcomes. Everyone should be able to approach this market clear-eyed about what they can expect for their time and money.

Disruptors of HE and tertiary education Institutes of Technology and the Dyson Institute

The second challenge is that presented by the new disruptors to higher education.

Institutions that ensuring that students studies at university boost to their professional lives afterwards.

The movement to link degrees with graduate jobs is exemplified by the Dyson institute of engineering and technology. As the first private employer in the country to be granted its own degree-awarding powers, the institute has streamlined students route to their graduate roles. They believe its worth teaching and awarding their own degrees, because its clearly the best way to get the candidates they need. And theyre not short of applicants vying for places!I commend Dysons extraordinary investment in their campus, where students are reaping the rewards of their work-focussed programmes. Everyone involved knows its worth their while.

On a regional level, our government-backed Institutes of Technology (IoTs) are also challenging the status quo. As collaborations between business, HE and FE, they are a fast-track to good jobs. They provide higher technical training in STEM specialisms, using the industry-standard equipment that colleges and training providers find prohibitively expensive. IoTs are employer-led, offering specialised courses tailored to local business needs, for local students. These multi-way relationships benefit all concerned, including the universities. Undergraduates whove experienced IoTs unique employer relationships arrive in their first job with higher occupational competency than traditional degree students.

Degree Apprenticeships

The third challenge for HE is degree apprenticeships.

They epitomise jobs, skills and social justice by eroding the false divide between further and higher education. Maintaining partition does nothing for either sector particularly when there is so much to be gained from collaborating.

Degree apprenticeships allow universities to reach students who could not otherwise afford undergraduate study. They offer a unique package of earning while learning at world-leading universities, and working for some of Britains top employers. 94% of Level 6 degree-apprentices go onto work or further training upon completion, with 93% in sustained employment. And all with no student finance to repay. With 170 to choose from, degree apprenticeships are opening-up professions previously closed to those not studying a traditional degree a brilliant outcome which speaks for itself.

What do degree apprenticeships have in common with the previous challenge the disruptor institutes? Theyre about preparing students for the world of work, so theyre ready to grab it with both hands.

Many of you agree with me on how important this is. The University of East London encourages every student to do a work placement, no matter what theyre studying. Teesside University had over 2,000 degree-level apprent

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