Higher Education White Paper: Chartered ABS response

In response to the Government's Higher Education White Paper, published today, Anne Kiem, Chief Executive of the Chartered Association of Business Schools said:

"We support the Government’s focus on quality. British business schools provide some of the best teaching and research in the world. It is important the sector continues to deliver the highest standards, and that new entrants into the sector are held to these.

"We are pleased that the Government has listened to our members and others in the sector in its plans for the Teaching Excellence Framework. A basket of metrics, a phased timetable for implementation and to establish parity between teaching and research were important factors to many of our members. We will ensure that our members’ views are heard in the Technical Consultation for Year 2 of the TEF.

"Measures to widen participation and support the most disadvantaged to access higher education are welcome. In particular, the White Paper recognises the need to take a “whole lifecycle approach” across number of challenges including access, retention, attainment and progression from HE.

"We are encouraged that reforms to the research funding bodies and the creation of a single body –UK Research and Innovation – is driven by the ambition to improve “collaboration between the research base and the commercialisation of discoveries in the business community, ensuring that research outcomes can be fully exploited for the benefit of the UK.” The Chartered ABS has been lobbying for greater incentives for interdisciplinary research. Our members have much to offer colleagues in other faculty, and in particular in STEM research, where business academics can use their knowledge and expertise in business to enable the translation of discovery and invention into innovation and productivity."

The White Paper is available to download here: "Success as a knowledge economy: teaching excellence, social mobility and student choice"