Private Providers are part of the HE ecology

18 March 2010

A report published today, entitled "Competition or collaboration?" following research commissioned by Universities UK, clearly articulates the place in the Higher Education ecology of both "for profit" and "not for profit" providers of HE courses and awards. GuildHE is co-sponsoring today's conference exploring the issues raised by the report at Regent's College, part of GuildHE’s "not for profit" HEI membership.

Professor Ruth Farwell, chair of GuildHE and Vice Chancellor of Buckinghamshire New University commented, "GuildHE has always been a supporter of diversity in the higher education sector and it has a number of private providers in membership alongside its publicly funded members. This report is a valuable study of a less publicly visible part of the Higher Education landscape. It is increasingly the case that both not for profit and for profit teaching institutions have a growing part to play in opportunities for learning in the UK.

GuildHE members leading both public and private institutions have seen they have much to learn from each other's best practices and the report rightly identifies the blurring of boundaries between sectors. In particular those who wish to travel the same demanding road to the acquisition of taught degree awarding powers have much to offer in terms of mutual support. All should agree with the report's recommendations on the need to ensure the adequacy of the quality assurance mechanisms, across all higher education providers, which GuildHE members agree should be in place to protect both the students and the best interests of UK HE's global position.

She also pointed out, "It must also not be forgotten that it is through collaborations with many of the publicly funded institutions, including in franchised programmes, that many providers in the private sector of pre- higher and higher education are able to do business. It is the validating institution that carries the responsibility for ensuring the quality and standards of courses and awards given in their name. Their effectiveness in this achievement is subject to close scrutiny by the Quality Assurance Agency."

Alice Hynes ceo of GuildHE remarked "The business-like behaviours expected of institutions, their delivery of a private educational service to their overseas students and the set of commercial services offered to the professions and industries in which they specialize, make the charitable publicly funded HEIs much closer in character and delivery to their private sector colleagues. GuildHE members have been keen to be a place where this dialogue and good practice exchange can happen and where there is greater attention to student expectations.

GuildHE will be especially interested in considering the report's recommendations about the role and expectations of representative bodies. The wide range of private providers may mean one body to provide representation, as proposed, is insufficient. It may be that a number of the larger HE focussed providers have more in common with their publicly funded fellows than with more specialist or pre-HE private colleges."

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