Don’t believe Starmer’s spin on skills Opinion Keir Starmer has abandoned the target of sending 50 per cent of young people to university, but he risks extending the worst failings of universities into further education, says Iain Mansfield Last week, to great fanfare, Keir Starmer tore up Tony Blair’s target of sending 50 per cent of young people to university. He is [...]
Industrial strategy vs journalism: The battle for UK university funding The future of journalism courses in UK higher education is under threat after the government confirmed plans to divert funding away from media and communications courses and towards subjects more directly tied to its industrial strategy. In May, ministers announced a £108m cut to the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) for 2025-26 – reducing the total [...]
University students lack basic financial knowledge, research finds Personal Finance Incoming university students lack basic understanding and knowledge of personal finance, leaving them at risk of running out of money, new research has found. Nearly 50 per cent of young adults felt stressed about their financial situation ahead of starting Higher Education, while four in ten didn’t feel at all prepared financially, according to retail [...]
Good A-levels are no guarantee in Labour’s abysmal jobs market August 14, 2025 As teenagers open their A-Level results, Andrew Griffith laments a job market that is punishing today's young people.
The ‘university for all’ rhetoric is hurting students and the taxpayer August 12, 2025 Decades of “university for all” rhetoric is hurting students whose degrees no longer pay off, and taxpayers who are stumping up the cost.
AI isn’t undermining university, it’s exposing it May 29, 2025 The crisis in universities didn’t start with ChatGPT, it began when the acquisition of knowledge became a transaction. To tackle it, universities should rediscover their foundational purpose: intellectual innovation, says Eliza Filby Universities are at a tipping point with AI. One recent survey found 88 per cent of students have used Gen AI for written [...]
Gary Neville’s university UA92 plots move to ‘stronger footing’ in 2026 May 1, 2025 Accounts show income has increased at University Academy 92 (UA92), the higher education institution set up by Gary Neville and other members of the Class of ’92, amid a rise in costs and “a tough financial climate.” UA92, which has bases in Trafford as well as the city centre, has reported a deficit before tax of [...]
‘Manchester is more attractive for business students than London’ – Gary Neville’s UA92 February 25, 2025 Manchester has become a more attractive destination for business students than London, according to the boss of Gary Neville’s University Academy 92 (UA92). Chief executive Sara Prowse pointed to the city’s recent growth as well as the relatively lower costs of living and of doing business and added that Manchester is “the new, more vibrant [...]
Forget a trade deal. Let’s use Trump’s victory to entice US students to the UK November 12, 2024 Trump's promised campus crackdown will prompt US students to look at other options. Let's welcome them here, writes Will Cooling.
Meet the founder rewriting the UK’s higher education playbook September 9, 2024 A model of specialisation has long been the golden rule of Britain’s higher education system - but what is the “true” and current value of such a degree?