As Keir Starmer’s first cabinet begins to govern, HEPI takes a look back to where and what the new cabinet members studied for their undergraduate degrees. Our analysis finds: The two undergraduate subjects studied by the most members of Starmer’s cabinet are Law and Politics, Philosophy and Economics (each studied…
And so it is decided. After weeks of debates and polls, elephant traps and memes, the election is over. Labour wins a majority of 172 seats and shows assurance as it takes the reins of government. It’s been a long wait. With it, something else begins — the long hard…
Universities are invaluable to the national economy and important anchor institutions in their regions. In 2021-22 around 285 higher education providers across the UK hosted 2.9m students and contributed £71bn to UK GDP. However, both the UK’s regions and our universities are facing times of change and challenge, leading to…
In autumn 2022, HEPI and Midlands Innovation released a ten-part blog series on technical talent, reflecting a growing interest in technicians in the higher education and research sectors. There is a particular interest in understanding employment quality for technicians, encompassing skills utilisation, career development opportunities, pay and contract terms. Information…
A Yorkshire Universities (YU) project has produced the first large-scale picture of student self-reported career readiness at the start of undergraduate study across an English region. Key findings have emerged around students entering higher education at the early stages of their career thinking and levels of interest in gaining experience.…
In our last blog, Student Voices on AI: Navigating Expectations and Opportunities, we reported the findings of global research we commissioned with YouGov on students’ attitudes towards artificial intelligence (AI), and in May we hosted a roundtable dinner in London to discuss how important the human touch is in an…
As the UK approaches its next general election, both the Labour and Conservative Party manifestos outline various educational reforms. However, neither adequately addresses the critical need for a robust strategy to integrate AI education into our schools and universities. Schools are important in this debate as they impact the pipeline…
About a third of applicants think it likely that they will not take up their place at university. Their feelings – and the reasons for them – may provide the key not only to conversions of applicants, but also to addressing early-stage withdrawals. The Applicant Index, now in its third…
What does sustainability really mean for the planet, for society, for universities and their students? The word sustainability is used widely in higher education but like many other concepts commonplace in the sector (e.g., employability, quality, student voice), its meaning is a slippery one. It means different things to different…
In the gap between education and industry, there is an expectation that students’ demands for skills will align seamlessly with the dynamics of the workplace. Reports such as The Future of Jobs 2023 by the World Economic Forum and the QS Skills Gap Report emphasise the importance of both technical and soft skills,…