Digital learning: Universities must work with more firms

Government want to increase competition but Universities are nervous it will lead to a drop in standards but that there is potential for universities to provide more work based learning.

Responding to the White Paper published this week, Professor Neil Morris was quoted extensively regarding universities working with firms rather than competing with them in higher education, particularly when it comes to digital learning.

The Government's ‘White Paper’ entitled Success as a Knowledge Economy seeks to empower students as paying consumers of higher education services and pressure universities to enhance the quality and value of those services. The principal vehicle for this will be the much-anticipated Teaching Excellence Framework (Tef). 

The Higher Education sector will also be opened up to allow greater competition, which may see likes of Facebook and Google opening their own universities to tackle skills shortages. Professor Neil Morris was quoted saying 'the Government want to increase competition but Universities are nervous it will lead to a drop in standards' but that there is potential for universities to provide more work based learning and accreditations through industry.