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The Strategic Planning Context

When considering the strategic direction of their university or college, governors will wish to be aware of the national and international context in which they are operating. Increasingly this will be affected by the national jurisdictions in the UK.

The Dearing Report

The National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education, chaired by Sir Ron Dearing, reported in 1997 to the then appropriate Secretaries of State for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The vision for the next 20 years, within the theme of the “learning society” set out an extensive array of proposals and recommendations covering:

Responding to the increasing demand for higher education and the importance of widening participation;
Strengthening and developing learning and teaching;
A framework for HE qualifications and various issues relating to standards;
Support for scholarship and research;
Governance and the operation of governing bodies; and
The funding of higher education, in particular student fees.

There was a separate report from the Scottish Committee, known as the Garrick Report.

The Leitch Report on Skills

Lord Sandy Leitch reported in December 2006 on the long-term skills needs of the UK. His report set out a vision that the UK should aim to be a world-leader in skills by 2020, with recommendations on how that vision could be realised.

The Innovation White Paper

Published in March 2008, the Innovation White Paper set out a range of policy commitments to try to stimulate innovation.

The Denham Reviews

In February 2008 the then Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills – John Denham – announced 7 reviews to decide ‘what a world-class HE system of the future should look like.’ These reviews related to:

Demography and the future size and shape of higher education;
New success criteria for institutions;
The student experience and how institutions are responding to changing student expectations;
Intellectual property issues;
Policy advice by academics;
International competitiveness; and
Widening participation.

Since then further reviews have been commissioned on part-time study and research careers.

The New Opportunities White Paper

This white paper of January 2009 reinforced the Government’s commitment to social mobility, including the expansion of opportunities in higher education for those from low-income backgrounds.

Innovation and Research Strategy

The Strategy sets out the central role in innovation played by universities.

There is further information on the strategic planning context in England and Wales.

There has been a consultation on the nisymbol future higher education strategy for Northern Ireland and the scottishflag Scottish Government has published a Green Paper Building a Smarter Future: Towards a Sustainable Scottish Solution for the Future of Higher Education. In September 2011 the Scottish Government published Putting Learners at the Centre: Delivering our Ambitions for Post 16 Education, a pre-legislative agenda.

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