Tuesday 6th December 2011, One Wimpole Street - London, 08:45 - 16:25

The National Higher Education Conference:

Putting Students at the Heart of Higher Education

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Overview

Higher education is a major contributor to the economic and social success of the UK. The Higher Education sector makes a key input to the GDP, and generated £59 billion for the UK economy in 2009, far outstripping the contributions of other industries. Universities also play a key role in promoting social mobility and enabling disadvantaged young people to access the professions.

Throughout the late 1990's and 2000's, the number of UK undergraduates rose substantially - from 1.3 million in 1997-98 to 1.6 million in 2009-10. Currently, participation in higher education stands at 57% for the 20% most advantaged young people, compared to 19% for the most disadvantaged 20%. The government hope to expand the number of disadvantaged students accessing higher education and have announced a raft of measures to support this goal, including proposals from Simon Hughes, the government’s Advocate for Access to Education, for all schools in England to channel scholarships to the poorest pupils.

In June 2011, the government published the higher education white paper 'Students at the Heart of the System.' The white paper sets out the government’s vision for a sustainably funded HE sector and covers 4 broad areas – reforming funding, delivering a better student experience, enabling universities to increase social mobility; and reducing regulation and barriers for new providers to enter the market. The proposals come in the wake of the decision to allow universities to charge students up to £9,000 per academic year. The white paper outlines clear guidelines for the reform of higher education and seeks to lay the foundations for a healthy future for the sector.

Agenda

This national conference comes at a time of great upheaval for the sector; the introduction of higher tuition fees and the 40% reduction in teaching budgets will have wide-scale impacts on the funding and availability of courses within higher education institutions.

The National Higher Education Conference will examine the proposals in the White Paper and their expected impact on the sector. Furthermore, sessions will consider how higher education can widen access and improve the student experience; and how higher education can work with the private sector to drive economic regeneration.

08:45	Registration and Coffee
09:30	Morning Chair’s Welcome Address                                                                                        Rt. Hon David Lammy MP, Former Higher Education Minister (CONFIRMED)
09:40	Morning Keynote: Delivering Word Class Higher Education Developments in the Higher Education White Paper Encouraging wider participation in higher education Building a sustainable future for higher education institutions Empowering learners – improving the student experience Implementing the National Scholarship Programme Ensuring HE in the UK remains world class Paula Croft, Deputy Director, Higher Education Policy Directorate, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (CONFIRMED)
10:00	Morning Keynote Questions and Answers Session
10:10	The Impact of New Funding Measures How are universities across the spectrum reacting to the new financial system? Implications for the future organisational landscape The impact on wider policy goals Will the new system help encourage greater student choice? Ensuring students have full information on the new funding measures Paul Clark, Director of Policy, Universities UK (CONFIRMED)
10:30	Special Keynote: Future of University-Industry Collaboration How can university-industry collaboration excel Encouraging university and industry collaboration and knowledge sharing Benefits to companies of research links with universities How business can work with universities to develop the skills that it needs Reversing the decline in sandwich courses Sir Tim Wilson DL, Emeritus Professor, University of Hertfordshire & Formerly Vice-Chancellor (CONFIRMED)
10:50	Questions and Answers Session
11:10	Coffee and Networking
11:35	Widening Access - The Role of Part-Time Study                                                                 Rajay Naik, Director of Government Relations, The Open University (CONFIRMED)
11:55	Case Study: Delivering Independent Education Working separately from the state sector to deliver quality higher education Delivering a 100% graduate employment rate Attracting international students Aligning the design of courses with the needs of the economy Providing learners with the information, advice and guidance to move into employment and further study The potential for expansion in the number of independent, private universities Professor Terence Kealey, Vice Chancellor, University of Buckingham (CONFIRMED)
12:15	Supporting Young People into Higher Education – The Lloyds Scholars Programme The increasingly challenging environment for students Adding value to the student experience Building employability skills The Lloyds Scholars Programme Richard Cooper, Head of Universities Programme, Lloyds Banking Group (CONFIRMED)
12:35	Questions and Answers Session
12:55	Morning Chair’s Closing Remarks
13:00	Lunch and Networking
14:00	Afternoon Chair’s Welcome Address                                                                                     Tim Marshall, Chief Executive, JANET (CONFIRMED)
14:05	Reforming the Admissions Process Potential for moving towards post-qualifications admissions How have the student finance reforms and external factors, such as the economy, affected admissions? Strategies for promoting wider participation through the admissions process Ensuring candidates receive comprehensive careers and funding information, prior to applying to university The impact of reform in qualifications on admissions to university Helen Thorne, Director of Policy & Research, UCAS (CONFIRMED)
14:25	Widening Access to Higher Education The link between higher education and social mobility An outline of the work being undertaken across the Russell Group to widen participation – outreach schemes, bursaries, raising aspirations Further consideration of the additional barriers to HE The potential impact of student funding reform on widening participation What factors should be taken into account in the admissions process? Alex Thompson, Head of Policy, Russell Group (CONFIRMED)
14:45	Questions and Answers Session
15:00	Coffee and Networking
15:25	Expanding the Global Reach of UK Higher Education Promoting UK HE internationally Improving the student experience for international students Developing international partnerships to attract over-seas students How will the HE White Paper impact on the market for international HE? Professor Simon Payne, Head of School, Plymouth Law School & Associate Dean, Plymouth University (CONFIRMED)
15:45	Students at the Heart of the System: Reality not Lip Service How has reform of student finance affected the student experience? The impact of funding reductions in HE on university facilities and learning The outcomes of financial support packages in encouraging non-traditional students to enter HE HE and international students - attracting the best to study in the UK Empowering learners to hold universities to account – increasing competition to improve choice The role of further education in delivering HE courses Ensuring higher education institutions meet the needs of learners                                                                                                           Liam Burns, President, National Union of Students (CONFIRMED)
16:05	Questions and Answers Session
16:25	Afternoon Chair's Summary and Close

*programme subject to change without notice

Exhibitor:

Lloyds Banking Group

Audience

Delegates will include vice chancellors, pro vice chancellors, skills directors, heads of strategy development, heads of knowledge transfer partnerships, apprenticeship managers, careers advisors, directors and managers of enterprise and business development, and will be drawn from public local and central government departments, academia, research councils, further education, learning providers, businesses and employers, the charitable sector and the private sector.

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