National skills strategy

The government has unveiled its policy for higher education, setting out the role universities will play in securing the country's economic recovery and long term prosperity. The framework, Higher Ambitions, published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), is wide-ranging but measures and recommendations that will immediately interest careers service managers and practitioners include:

• The expectation that all universities will publish a statement on how they promote student employability

• A requirement for universities to set out clearly what students can expect from their course, including the long-term employment prospects it offers

• An expectation that business will be more engaged in the funding and design of programmes, sponsorship of students, and work placements

• The creation of more part-time, work-based and foundation degrees to make it easier for adults to go to university with routes from apprenticeships through to Foundation degree

• More emphasis on funding vocational courses where there are demonstrable skills shortages

• Improving the advice and encouragement young people receive at school with respect to higher education

• A review of postgraduate education

• A review of the fees structure in English universities.

The report was published in November 2009.

You can download the full report, the executive summary, press releases and audio and video files from the BIS website.

November 09