24 September 2008
Million+ responds to Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills speech at Labour Party Conference.
Secretary of State for Innovation, University and Skills John Denham MP announced today that nine of the UK’s more selective universities will work in partnership to try to widen access to their institutions for students from schools with low participation rates.
Responding to the announcement made at the Labour Party Conference, Professor Les Ebdon, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire and Chair of the university think-tank Million+ said: “There is good work being done in universities up and down the country to encourage the most talented students to apply to university. The Government should be congratulated for persuading these nine universities to make their commitment to the widening access agenda so clear today.
“The department should also be encouraging a partnership model so that the universities included in the new scheme work with those universities that have a lot more experience in this area. Partnerships would also prevent quasi-competition between universities for poorer students which schools will tire of and students will see through. The aim must always be to encourage pupils to study a course that interests them at a university that best suits their needs, not just to help boost a particular institution’s widening participation figures.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
- Million+ is a leading university think-tank, working to solve the complex problems in higher education. www.millionplus.ac.uk
- For more information please contact Gemma Tumelty, Public Affairs Officer on 0207 7171657 or 07900 277819