Higher education reflections from Labour Conference...

As I recover from a full on Labour Conference in Liverpool, I thought I’d put pen to paper (or thumbs to keyboard) on my reflections on higher education policy conversations.

Firstly it goes without saying that it was real joy to meet so many in the sector - both familiar faces and new ones - and chat about hopes and fears for higher education under a future government.

‘Tertiary’ was the buzzword across fringes. Both Scotland and Wales are ahead on this - there’s much England can learn, especially on quality models in a tertiary sector. Watch this space for more of that from QAA in the future.

Despite this, conversations about skills and lifelong learning felt separate from HE conversations. HE is perhaps understandably preoccupied by funding conversations too. But barely any HE orgs were part of the ‘Skills Hub’ where many of these conversations were had.

The HE sector seems to speak, largely, to itself. It’s the same faces at the same events, with little evidence of reaching those outside the bubble and making a real impact.

Where the HE voice seemed to cut through outside its own bubble best, was at events from the likes of University Alliance (UK) and MillionPlus - The Association for Modern Universities who focussed strongly on skills, industry, and public sector workforce.

Despite significant political rhetoric around the quality of courses in recent months, quality - as a topic - was fairly absent in discussions. Or at least, the link between high quality courses and developing skilled graduates was not well trodden.

It was positive to hear Keir Starmer reiterate the importance of both vocational and traditional education pathways. A “both, and” framing helps tertiary coherence.

It was great to hear Matt Western speak about the need to articulate the “collective impact of high skilled graduates” over merely blunt metrics, and that he views the sector as the “best kept secret for the UK economy”.

But the value of HE to graduates and the UK economy shouldn’t be a secret. Though is it all that surprising when conversations about skills and lifelong learning are siloed, and HE policy conversations feel insular and inward facing?

So, a mixed bag of reflections from my about Labour Conference. Do they chime with yours? Did I just go to a particular selection of events? Have I missed some really hopeful and optimistic moments? Let me know.