Adam Brown

When you think about all the challenges facing higher education, what springs to mind? Brexit? Fees/funding? Diversity? Pensions? Questions around public value? Yes all of those things, but what’s the one thing that traverses all of these issues?

I’d argue that it’s differentiation, or more accurately the lack of differentiation or distinctiveness and genuine choice in the HE sector. But why?

Research. Education. Student Experience.

REF, TEF and NSS, amongst others, influence league tables and drive behaviour in UK universities. They focus competition in these three core domains, irrespective of the university’s core mission. The simple fact is that only a handful of universities can genuinely compete in all three (we know who they are), some can do two, others one.

But why is this a problem?

Cement. Yes that’s right. Cement. A commodity product, one bag is the same as the other. HE risks becoming well and truly stuck in it. Now there is nothing wrong with cement, it’s useful, in fact essential, stuff but when all things are equal, you need to start thinking differently.

So what are some of the strategies being employed across the sector to address competition?

· Invest to grow – massive investments, sometimes through bond issues, in both the physical estate and in the hope of creating critical mass in key research/teaching areas and ultimately increasing ‘market share’

· Invest abroad – overseas campus development, either through partnerships or through purpose-built estate.

· Invest in marketing/student recruitment – driving much needed student numbers through enhanced acquisition and conversion plans and the systems and processes that underpin them

· Invest in brand – the development and consistent application of a positioning, look and feel, tone of voice and associated management systems

· Product extension/modification – re-shaping product to maximise opportunities emerging from policy or market changes, for example Degree Apprenticeships

All of these, and more besides, are perfectly reasonable ways of addressing market competition. BUT. They assume that what’s needed is more of the same – more buildings, more academics to teach more students, more degree programmes, more student accommodation, more (hopefully better) marketing. But what if the answer is less, or fewer?

In the words of the Joker (Jack Nicholson, 1989): ‘this town needs an enema’. I think he meant disruption.

HE has, to a large extent, been untouched by the major disruption faced by other sectors from a new player, or players who tear up the rule book.

Take gyms. Once the preserve of the heavy lifter, now they are everywhere and accessible to everyone. They have never been more popular. Great news for bricks and mortar gyms? Maybe not. Group classes came in as a new, more sociable way to work out. Then the niche home workout video, then the mass market celebrity DVD. None of these has the impact of serial innovators like Les Mills who have successfully traversed the ‘in-gym’ to ‘workout at-home’ divide with an OnDemand service for their customers with increasingly busy lives. The same quality classes as you get in the gym, optimised for home work-out, streamed or downloaded to your device (TV, mobile, PC). Marketed well, and supported by an online community, workout advice, guides and schedules, hints and tips. More convenient and at £11.95 a month, much better value than a gym membership.

So what does this mean for HE? No, this isn’t about MOOCS, although there is a part for them to play.

As a marketer you’d expect me to advocate investment in marketing, brand and customer service – yes that is needed, in the right areas and correctly balanced. Over-investment in tactical short term campaigns at the expense of long term brand building risks institutions getting stuck in an annual cycle of student-chasing. Another danger is investing in external brand building at the expense of the all-important product, culture and systems change needed to meet the brand promise.

The bottom line is that universities need to be on their toes, fitter, more lean, race-fit. Because with the HE sector worth an estimated £100bn to the UK economy, it’s only a matter of time before a new market entrant gets it right. A metaphorical Les Mills OnDemand subscription.

This is about the core product and whether the old model that’s worked pretty much unchanged for 100s of years needs a re-think. A genuine, strategic rethink. A new differentiated more single-minded product. Less might well be more.

William Annandale

As the collective voice of universities across GB, Universities UK is an influential force in higher education. Their July report – The Future of Degree Apprenticeships – puts forward compelling arguments for the benefits of degree apprenticeships and a series of recommendations to help ensure they are a fundamental part of meeting the significant demand for high-level skills in the economy.

As the report details, backed up by research, degree apprenticeships are viewed positively by employers, universities, and students. The benefits can be summarised for each group.

· Employers, because of the opportunities to address skills shortages, provide structured development for their employees (thereby helping retention), and enhance their recruitment attractiveness

· Universities, because of building stronger relationships with employers, providing incremental opportunities for recruitment and income, and stimulating new approaches to teaching and learning

· Students, because of the additional opportunities for gaining a degree, without the cost, and in some cases also a professional qualification, whilst earning in the workplace

Put it that way, as a win win win, what is there not to support about degree apprenticeships?

The motivations for apprentices were also the subject of research commissioned by the Office for Students (OfS) in June – ‘Degree Apprenticeships Motivations Research’. The top motivating factor for both Level 6 (90 percent) and Level 7 (92 percent) respondents was getting a degree alongside earning a salary.

Quadrant was involved recently in a project for the OfS regarding the issue of the recruitment of mature students to Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health (NMAH) courses. In interviews with employers and NHS trusts, the topic of work based learning was much discussed. The trainee nursing associate programme (TNA) was seen by trusts involved as a particularly positive initiative and although adoption of TNA apprenticeships and nursing degree apprenticeships was uneven, many trusts intended to expand one or both of these and to use them to help address future vacancy levels in NMAH professions.

Some of the issues we encountered regarding apprenticeships, such as the regulatory and financial barriers, and lack of communications about the range of apprenticeships available or in development, were also highlighted in the Universities UK report.

Although we did not see degree apprenticeships as the solution (apart from anything, the NMAH recruitment ‘gap’ is much bigger than could be filled by apprenticeships), there is little doubt that they are particularly appealing for mature ‘students’ because of the work based learning opportunity they provide.

So, back to the Universities UK report and what could/needs to be done. The four main recommendations are worth showing verbatim.

‘Traditional’ degree programmes will still quite rightly be the choice for the majority, particularly younger people and those who do not have a particular vocation in mind. They also have important social, cultural and pastoral benefits.

Degree apprenticeships should be viewed as complementary, with particular relevance for the more mature. They can and should be an important part of the solution for improving the skills of the UK workforce and the productivity of the economy.

Despite some of the barriers, they provide an increasingly good opportunity for many universities to strengthen their ‘applied’ offer and demonstrate their vocational orientation, as well as build valuable relationships with local businesses. Apprenticeships may demand a different approach compared to the traditional degree but work based learning will continue to grow and those who adopt more flexible programmes will be in a strong position to take advantage.