DEPARTMENT FOR
INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS News Release (2008/028) issued
by The Government News Network on 22 May 2008
Today, John Denham
will challenge millions of employees to grasp the opportunity to
improve their job prospects and increase their earnings by taking
one of the wide range of qualifications that higher education has
to offer.
Speaking at the University of Southampton, the Secretary of State
for Innovation, Universities and Skills will highlight that, with
six million adults of working age currently with only A-Levels or
equivalent qualifications, there exists a large pool of untapped
talent in the workforce which may benefit from higher education.
Recent research indicates that around four million adults would
actively consider participating in higher education. Current
estimates suggest that a university degree is worth well over
£100,000 (after tax at today's prices) more than stopping at A-Levels.
The Government has already set out a range of policies to
encourage more adults to consider higher education. These include
the new 'University Challenge', which will give the
chance for 20 towns or regions to develop new university centres
or campuses over six years - allowing students to attend a local
university offering flexible courses to meet their needs. In
addition, DIUS will consult on a new right to request time to
train, which will allow millions of employees to start a
conversation with their employers about how they can become more
productive members of staff and enjoy better career prospects.
John Denham, Universities Secretary said:
"DIUS' own recent research found that four million
people are considering, or willing to consider participating in
higher education. These are people who are likely to be already in
work; they may have family commitments and perhaps missed out on
the opportunity to go to university the first time around. There
may be others who now consider, quite wrongly, that their time has passed.
"We are now giving them a second chance. I believe that
every person who has the ability to go to university should also
have the opportunity to do so. We must send out a clear message
that it is not too late.
"And I believe that if we are to create the high-level
skills base by 2020 that the UK needs, then we must aim to give
those four million people who want to go to university the chance
to get one of the increasingly wide range of qualifications that
higher education has to offer."
As well as enabling people to meet their aspirations, raising the
skills levels of the workforce is an economic imperative. If this
country is to remain internationally competitive in the 21st
century, we need 40 per cent of the working age population to have
been through higher education by 2020 - up from 31 per cent today.
Yet three-quarters of the people who will make up our workforce in
2020 have already left compulsory education.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills is
taking forward a series of policies to encourage more employees to
realise their potential and gain higher level skills.
* In the Draft Legislative Programme announced by the Prime
Minister on 14 May, he signalled our intention to consult on
giving employees the right to ask for time to train. This would
give up to 22m people the opportunity to have a serious
conversation with their employer about their skills development,
and we believe that this will encourage employers to take up the
increasing Government support for training programmes that is
available to them.
* We are creating 60,000 new university places over the next
three years, and expect many adults, who may have missed out on a
university education first time around, to take advantage of these.
* The Government has launched the new 'University
Challenge', which will allow towns to bid for 20 new
university campuses or centres over the next 6 years. We estimate
that this will provide up to 10,000 university places, and will
mean that location should not be a barrier to participation.
* On 14 April, Bill Rammell launched a consultation on high level
skills, which will seek views from employers, students, colleges
and universities on how to build stronger and more flexible links
between business and higher education.
* We are introducing an adult advancement and careers service
(AACS) that will provide a joined-up service, improving the
careers and skills advice that adults receive and help them to
progress in learning and at work. It will also provide advice on
housing, employment rights, childcare, finance and personal issues
to help them overcome barriers to success. Two pilot services will
be opened in London this year.
* In March, the Lifelong Learning Network (LLN) achieved national
coverage - involving over 90 per cent of all universities in
England and over 300 colleges. These networks bring further and
higher education closer together, and facilitate links between the
two. They are also developing Progression Agreements, that define
and support routes into higher education. John Denham has now
asked HEFCE develop a stronger, more focused remit for the
Lifelong Learning Networks. He also wants LLNs to develop clear
progression routes for people on diplomas and for those following
LSC-funded vocational programmes and workplace learning into HE.
* In July 2007, John Denham announced a radical extension of the
student support package. This will mean that one third of all
students in England entering higher education in the academic year
2008/09 will receive a full non-repayable grant worth £2,825 and
another one third will receive a partial grant.
* John Denham has asked Christine King, Vice Chancellor of
Staffordshire University, to produce a report for DIUS on the
provision of part-time study in higher education, alongside others
from the sector who he has asked to advise on the future of higher education.
* Prior to 1998/99 no support of any kind was available for
part-time students. An improved package of part-time support was
introduced for the 2006/07 academic year - the most generous
package ever offered to part-time students. In 2007/08 support is
available up to £1,150 a year in fee grants and a course grant of £250.
2. Part-times students can apply for a Fee Grant of up to £1,180
a year and a Course Grant of up to £255 a year, both of which are non-repayable.