Following the March 2023 Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) meeting, we wish to provide a progress update on three of the key commitments we made within the interim joint statement (dated 17 February 2023). These commitments were:
Universities in England have committed to reversing pandemic grade inflation in first and 2.1 degrees.
In a first of its kind statement Universities UK (UUK) and GuildHE members have committed to return to pre-pandemic levels of ‘upper’ degree classification by 2023.
UK government ministers are being warned that any U-turn on their commitments to grow international student numbers could result in billions of pounds in lost revenue, wreck their growth plans, and damage local economies in their own constituencies.
University leaders are warning that proposed reforms to post 18 education and funding in England would turn back the clock on social mobility while limiting the government’s own levelling up agenda.
Business leaders, vice-chancellors and political stakeholders came together today at Universities UK’s (UUK) Degree apprenticeships and higher technical education conference, to discuss the benefits of degree apprenticeships. The one-day conference aimed to highlight the importance of degree apprenticeships and the role they can play in developing new skills to boost economic growth.
Universities in England contribute around £95 billion* to the economy and support more than 815,000 jobs** across England, new findings by Frontier Economics today reveal.
The government is being warned that jobs and talent are at risk, and over 100 local innovation, skills and business support projects teetering on the brink, because of delays and complications as European Union funding for local skills and training partnerships ends.
University students who go on placements as part of their degree need better support, with placement providers and universities working more closely together to reduce mental health and wellbeing risks.
The latest information provided by the USS Trustee suggests that the forthcoming 2023 valuation is likely to reveal a high probability of being able to improve benefits and reduce contributions.
In a recent speech, the Secretary of State for the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology outlined the department’s “singular goal” of leading the UK to science and technology superpower status by 2030. In the run up to the Spring Budget, Universities UK (UUK) in its latest report calls on the government to invest in University Enterprise Zones and use the UK’s pioneering universities to drive SME growth and rebuild the economy.
University students across England have revealed the full impact the cost of living crisis is having on them as the academic year reaches the halfway point. Results from a recent survey conducted by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) have found that students are struggling to keep up with rising bills and rent, with many now considering leaving university to save on costs.