This HEPI blog was kindly authored by Leo Hanna, Executive Vice President at TechnologyOne UK.
UK universities enjoy world-leading status, but the sector is not without its challenges. With a general election looming, and as UK higher education institutions look for solutions to overcome their challenges, the recently published Australian University Accord (Final Report) serves as a compelling example of what can be achieved when the government, the higher and tertiary education sector and industry leaders come together with a shared purpose to do just that.
In 2022, and in recognition of similar challenges facing Australia’s higher education sector, the newly elected Labor government established the Universities Accord to outline the path to lasting and transformative reform in the higher education system. Their final report, which was released in February, contains a hefty 47 recommendations to promote the growth of skills through greater equity in participation, access and opportunity and enhance excellence in learning, teaching and student experience. Highlighting the importance of higher education to the workforce of the future, the Accord aims to lift the tertiary attainment rate of all working-age people from 60% to at least 80% by 2050.
Achieving these ambitious goals will help address skills shortages across industries, ensure student wellbeing, reinvest in research, and ultimately, ensure the financial health and continuing competitiveness of the higher education sector; goals which any incoming government in the UK should strive for.
