White Paper Lays Bare Opportunities
- Charlotte Gorse
- Nov 12, 2025
- 2 min read
When there’s a disconnect between what students want to study and the needs of the economy, graduates’ earning potential is limited, as stated recently in the UK government’s ‘Post-16 Education and Skills’ White Paper. Will the upcoming review of Quality by the OfS’ Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) address this?
Students’ perspectives give us invaluable insight into what determines quality, inside the classroom and out. Those succeeding are mindful of what drives applicant decision making; enable a holistic approach to academic quality and student experience. In this tailored approach, innovative curricula are married with bespoke support services, delivering a truly distinctive student experience, reflecting the real-time student support needs of their university demographic and actual student community; providing career accelerants, term-time employment support, cost of living advice and the ability to live with dignity during rising student poverty.
In a time of cuts of ‘non-essential’ services, visionaries remember to invest in those word of mouth factors which drive student community and ‘feel’: short-term thinking may damage long-term potential.
For those young people who seek purpose and meaning in a world of challenges, extra-curricular experiences can provide an important safety net from scepticism and malaise. One recent Master’s graduate told me they felt their institution (famed for flexible delivery) was now suffering in terms of quality. Their pastoral and community services were ‘atrophying: assessments were frequently returned after the promised deadline, I was prevented from acting on feedback in time and any support I sought – often urgent – through a portal, had very poor response times.’ If allowed to go unaddressed, these familiar bottlenecks quickly damage perceived brand value.
For those economically- and socially-deprived, the risks of entering HE are higher today. Graduate jobs are down 33% on last year, the government’s new emphasis on ‘two-thirds entering higher-level training’, fees linked to inflation, and the international levy, all complicate the issue. Discussions on the return of investment for universities will likely only accelerate.
The balancing of tight resources and needs of diverse student groups (such as commuting, international, disabled) is growing increasingly complex for universities. With increased employment precarity for graduates further accentuating this, it is vital to come together to redesign curricula with integrated, symbiotic support and employment-delivering education and skills for today and tomorrow.
It’s useful to remember that a core driver of applicant choice remains the intangible feel of a place – its proximity or distance from home, its sense of community and individual belonging. Much of this evades quantitative analysis: a radical rethink with our students may be required.
