HEFCE respected and valued by stakeholders
25 Mar 2014 01:50 PM
An independent survey has found that HEFCE is
considered by its stakeholders to be highly respected, trusted and approachable
[Note 1]. And 80 per cent are satisfied with their relationship with HEFCE
– an overall improvement since previous surveys were undertaken in 2009
and 2007 [Note 2].
The
survey of higher education institutions, further education colleges and other
HEFCE stakeholders was carried out by Pye Tait Consulting between July and
October 2013. It explored perceptions of HEFCE’s role, policies,
processes, communications, and relationships with its
stakeholders.
Other findings include:
- HEFCE is valued by its stakeholders as an organisation
which listens to them and which understands the issues facing the higher
education sector.
- Over 80 per cent of stakeholders say that HEFCE is
effective at ensuring accountability for funding, implementing government
policy and being a proportionate regulator.
- Over 85 per cent agree that HEFCE acts in the public
interest and is open, fair, impartial and objective.
- The
majority (83 per cent) believe that HEFCE has implemented change either very or
fairly well, and 76 per cent agree that HEFCE has ensured a smooth transition
to the new funding arrangements.
- A
clear majority (83 per cent) describe the quality of HEFCE staff as very/fairly
good, and over 70 per cent would speak highly of HEFCE – an increase on
previous survey figures of 28 per cent among institutions, and 17 per cent
among non-institutional stakeholders.
- The
vast majority of stakeholders (89 per cent, including 97 per cent of HEIs)
think that HEFCE communicates well with their organisation.
The
report identifies a number of areas for improvement. It recommends that HEFCE
builds on recent work to review the effectiveness of our consultations;
suggests that more could be done to tailor communications for particular
audiences such as further education colleges; and emphasises the importance of
proactive communications to ensure that all of our stakeholders have a clear
understanding of our purpose and mission.
Professor Madeleine Atkins, HEFCE Chief Executive,
said:
‘I would like to thank all those who took part in
the survey and provided such useful feedback. The survey findings show that
HEFCE has continued to be valued and respected by its stakeholders through a
period of significant change for the HE sector. We will now consider the
report’s recommendations carefully in order to make further improvements
to the way we work with our
stakeholders.’
Read
the Stakeholder survey.
Notes
- Based on high average favourability ratings of 8 out of
10 in each of these three areas (highly respected; trusted and
approachable).
- The
percentage change between 2007 and 2013 among institutions who are very/fairly
satisfied with the relationship was +8 per cent. The percentage change among
non-institutional stakeholders between 2009-2013 was +12 per cent (page 45 of
the report).
- The
survey builds on similar stakeholder research carried out in previous years,
although there are important differences. Both institutional and
non-institutional stakeholders are included in this survey, whereas these
respondent groups were surveyed separately in previous years. A mixed
methodology has also been used, comprising:
- desk-based research into the external
context
- an online survey of all stakeholders
- follow-up in-depth qualitative interviews
(telephone-based) with 38 stakeholders to further enrich the survey findings
and explore key emerging issues in greater depth.
- The
online survey targeted all higher education institutions, further education
colleges that have a funding relationship with HEFCE. The total number of
survey responses achieved were as follows:
- higher education institutions and further education
colleges: 158 responses (from 122 institutions)
- non-institutional stakeholders: 69
responses.