April 2007/09
Guide
HEFCE strategic plan 2006-11
Updated April 2007
An updated version of the plan was published in June 2009.
This strategic plan sets out a widely shared vision for the development of higher education in England to 2011, and HEFCE's strategy for moving towards that vision. It was developed through extensive consultation and discussion with a wide range of stakeholders and has now been updated for 2007.
Foreword and introduction (read online)
Foreword by David Young
Chairman
English higher education is respected across the world for its high-quality teaching and research. It is fully engaged in meeting the significant challenges facing us today, such as tackling climate change, reducing global poverty, and developing understanding of different societies and cultures. It has shown its capacity to respond quickly to current issues as well as to pursue longer-term questions. It plays a pivotal role in enabling England to contribute and compete on a global stage. But we cannot afford to be complacent.
Public funding remains key to this work. We must sustain a sector which is world class and which has the ability to deliver benefits for all in our society. This means that we will continue to address vigorously the challenge of widening participation in HE for people from groups which have historically been under-represented. It also means that HE must make its best possible contribution to our businesses, our public and not-for-profit sector organisations, and our communities.
In facing the varied opportunities and challenges ahead, in the UK and globally, the diversity of our higher education providers is itself an important asset which we should seek to use fully. We will continue to work in partnership with all our stakeholders so that we maintain a shared vision of what the future will require from this vibrant sector. Above all, our mission remains to enable the sector to pursue the high quality, cost-effective teaching and research that is necessary to meet the diverse needs of students, the economy and society.
Introduction by Professor David Eastwood
Chief Executive
Higher education is critical to the development of a modern knowledge-based economy. It provides opportunities for personal fulfilment, economic competitiveness and social inclusion.
The strategic vision and key objectives set out in this plan are designed to ensure that the higher education sector in England has the capacity and funding to respond to present and future challenges. Our higher education sector is well-placed to respond creatively to the challenges and opportunities of the global economy and our higher education institutions have a central role in developing a learning society that has the right blend of high-level skills essential to a modern economy in the 21st century.
The Leitch Review of Skills in 2006 recognised higher education as a key contributor to the challenge of ensuring that the UK is a world leader in skills by 2020. The drive to upgrade skills is reflected in part of our strategic vision which focuses on continuing to develop dynamic partnerships between our higher education institutions, employers and individuals. Meeting the increasingly diverse needs of students will require a much closer engagement with employers and other partners.
We have seen a number of significant changes in higher education in the past 12 months including the introduction of variable fees for tuition. As fee payers, students are becoming more demanding, and their interests and the quality of their learning experience are at the heart of our plans. Student satisfaction as measured through the annual National Student Survey is high by international standards and student retention is good, with the drop-out rate from courses one of the lowest in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.
The continuing review of our funding method for teaching will ensure that it is fit for purpose, provides stability for the sector, supports innovative, flexible provision, and has the capacity to cope with more significant change if that is required following the independent review of the higher education funding reforms in 2009.
We remain committed to funded growth in student numbers. We see this as essential if we are to meet the challenge of widening access, and increasing participation and student progression, which all remain crucial to our mission. We continue to see the drive towards widening participation as fundamental in promoting social inclusion and improving the country's economic competitiveness.
A key feature of the next five years will be maintaining a dynamic, world-class research sector which will underpin economic prosperity and national well-being. We will work with Government, the Research Councils and other funders to ensure that the UK's record in creating new knowledge and opening up new fields of research is matched by achievements in their application. We are making good progress towards the next Research Assessment Exercise in 2008, and will work with the higher education sector to develop a new research assessment and funding framework to be phased in after 2009.
The Government's framework for science and innovation highlights the important role that the higher education knowledge base plays as a source of the country's global competitiveness. Long-term funding to promote engagement between higher education institutions and businesses will be crucial in creating ideas and nurturing enterprise, as well as enhancing skills, management capability and productivity.
Our ambition must be to sustain a higher education system in England which matches the best in the world. This is achievable with the right level of investment to match the creativity and commitment of the staff and students in our universities and colleges of higher education.