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HEPI Guest Post

  • Dear Ofqual…

    15 August 2019 by Dennis Sherwood

    Dear Ofqual, Thank you for making your position on grade (un)reliability so explicit in the statement posted on your website on Sunday, 11 August.  But may I seek clarification on some of the content, please? Firstly, you state: …more than one grade could well be a legitimate reflection of a student’s performance…

  • Why employers don’t care about qualifications

    14 August 2019

    This blog has been contributed by Professor Tristram Hooley, Chief Research Officer of the Institute of Student Employers (ISE). The ISE is an employer association that is focused on entry-level and early-career recruitment. When you work or study in the education system, it can be very difficult to gain a…

  • Shining a light on Non-Prescribed Qualifications

    7 August 2019

    This blog has been kindly contributed by Professor Dave Phoenix, Vice-Chancellor of London South Bank University The Augar Review has provided much to consider; and one area on which it shines a gentle light is that of “Non-Prescribed” qualifications. For those who are unfamiliar, Non-Prescribed courses lead to qualifications, which,…

  • The Value of Foundation Years in Higher Education

    5 August 2019

    This is a guest blog kindly contributed by Professor Nick Braisby, Vice-Chancellor at Buckinghamshire New University Whatever one may think of the Augar report and its varied recommendations, it appears to have focused generally on the right questions and to have appropriately considered existing research and evidence. However, one section…

  • Advancing the value of older workers in HE workplaces: the case for ‘Elders’ not ‘Olders’

    31 July 2019 by Domini Bingham

    A guest blog, kindly contributed by Dr Domini Bingham, Lecturer, Educational Leadership, Department of Learning and Leadership, UCL Institute of Education. She is the author of Older Workforces – Re-imagining Later Life Learning(2019) . The UK’s Augar Review of Post-18 Education and Funding (2019) has reported on a shameful and costly neglect to those who…

  • Saving humanities from the STEM promised land

    29 July 2019 by Samuel Martín-Barbero

    This is a guest blog kindly contributed by Dr. Samuel Martín-Barbero, Vice-Chancellor at the University Camilo José Cela (Madrid, Spain). Education and labour policy makers, tech-believers and business followers should realise that for a graduate ‘entering the job market’ is not about one’s first job. On the contrary, it is…

  • Augar and the ladder of learning: the value of Level 4 and 5 qualifications in lifelong learning

    22 July 2019 by Dave Phoenix, Chief Executive, London South Bank University

    Beyond the headline announcements of the Augar Review, there are wide-ranging proposals, covering everything from Level 2 to adult education. Its recommendations regarding the promotion and expansion of Level 4 and 5 education demand particular attention, and I am pleased to see several recommendations I sought in my paper for…

  • Bridging the Research-Policy Divide

    17 July 2019 by Iain Mansfield

    A version of this guest article was originally presented by Iain Mansfield at the HEPI Partner Policy Briefing Day. “I can call up 50 academics who will tell me how to design the perfect pension system, but I can’t find any who can tell me how to improve the one…

  • Does Augar present ‘evidence-based policy’, or ‘policy-based evidence’?

    15 July 2019 by Greg Walker

    Today’s guest blog, from Dr Greg Walker, CEO of MillionPlus, is a full and thoughtful critique of the Augar review, and we urge people to read it carefully.  As someone with experience with independent reviews of higher education, I understand the energy and effort that panel members and officials put…