Million Plus

MillionPlus, the Association for Modern Universities, has today (26 October) welcomed the call from Universities UK and the Confederation of British Industry for changes to the education system to support more flexible study.

The two organisations initiated a project earlier this year to look at the decline in part-time student enrolments and the changing needs of students and employers. It concludes that many people are missing out on the chance to develop the skills that employers and the UK economy need because of the cost and time it takes to study part-time.

Professor Graham Baldwin, Treasurer of MillionPlus and Vice-Chancellor of Solent University, said:

“With Philip Augar’s review of Post-18 Education ongoing this is a timely and important piece of work. MillionPlus has long called for more to be done to rocket-boost educational opportunities to people at every stage of their lives, most recently in our Forgotten Learners report earlier this year. Such opportunities would benefit the individuals themselves, employers and the country.

“Automation and artificial intelligence are poised to seismically alter the economy and workplace practices in the coming decades. If that challenge is to be met, it must be not just possible but painless for people to re-train or re-skill later in life, in a manner that suits them.

“Modern universities, with their close and long-standing ties with business and their role as community anchors, are well placed to deliver exactly the kind of flexible study that a modern economy will require to thrive.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact Dan Blows on 020 7717 1658 or email press@millionplus.ac.uk
2. The Economic Case for Flexible Learning by UUK and the CBI is released on Friday 26 October 2018 and will be available here
3. MillionPlus is the Association for Modern Universities in the UK, and the voice of 21st century higher education. We champion, promote and raise awareness of the essential role and impact of modern universities in the UK’s world-leading higher education sector. More information can be found at www.millionplus.ac.uk
4. What are modern universities? Modern universities are long established centres of higher education in their communities with roots that stretch back decades, if not centuries. Many gained university title following legislation agreed by parliament in 1992. They make up almost half of the UK university sector with over a million students studying at modern universities every year.
5. Modern universities: key facts 2018