The Open University

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Budget Commentary: Jam tomorrow for the poor

30 October 2018

Jonquil Lowe, Senior Lecturer in Economics and Personal Finance, shares her views on the autumn budget. “The big ticket item from yesterday’s Budget – apart from extra spending on the NHS – is bringing forward by a year increases to the personal allowance (the first slice of income that most people can have tax-free) to £12,500 and […]

OU welcomes recommendations to provide more flexible study

26 October 2018

A generation of ‘lost learners’ are missing out on the chance to develop the skills at university that employers and the UK economy need, because of the cost and time it takes to study part-time. This is one of the main findings of a project set up by Universities UK (UUK) and the Confederation of […]

Studying part-time can increase lifetime earnings by up to £377,000

10 September 2018

Completing a part-time degree in your late 30s can bring an increase in lifetime earnings of up to £377,000 in cash terms, a new study shows. An analysis of the earning potential for part-time students in England qualifying at the age of 37 – the average age of an Open University graduate – underlines the […]

Technology leading change

23 July 2018

Technology is moving at a faster pace than ever before. Acknowledging this, and how all of us use technology, is vital to continued progress. Whether it’s how we deliver teaching and exams, or how we manage our finances; technology is involved in some way. Moving into the world of tomorrow means that technology will lead […]

The role of education in addressing the UK skills shortage

22 July 2018

Reflecting on the Future of Education prompted me to think about the history of our sector a little, writes Jonathan Wylie, Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer at The Open University. It has been nearly two decades since, in a statement to Parliament about the government’s education proposals outlined in the Learning to succeed white paper, […]

House of Lords debate part-time education and the future of the OU

10 July 2018

The OU’s Chancellor, Baroness Martha Lane-Fox of Soho, led the celebration of the OU’s mission and success in a debate in the House of Lords last week. You can watch the full debate here with the Baroness speaking from 12:27 to 12:31. A full transcript is also available. The Chancellor described the OU as “an […]

OU welcomes Parliamentary Report on problems facing students

11 June 2018

The Open University has welcomed a House of Lords report that once again underlines the impact of UK Government reforms on part-time higher education in England. The Lords Economic Affairs Committee called for a series of measures to help encourage part-time study – which has fallen by 59 per cent in England since the 2012 […]

Phasing out of Government grant underlines need for new funding system

24 May 2018

The UK Government has confirmed the final phase of its staged reduction of direct grants to The Open University. Teaching grant in England fallen by 80% Government support for students in England – paid through the teaching grant – has now fallen by 80 per cent since the university funding reforms of 2012. The latest […]

Fix broken part-time market in England with flexible learning incentive

3 May 2018

The Open University (OU) is calling on the Government to introduce a new “flexible learning incentive” in its submission to the Post-18 Review into education and funding in England. The OU argues that the main cause of the dramatic decline in the number of HE students aged 21 and over in England – especially among […]

Apprenticeship accounts have £1.28 billion stockpiled, OU analysis reveals

6 April 2018

More than £1.28 billion of the funding that has been paid into the apprenticeship levy is still sitting in National Apprenticeship Service accounts, new data analysis commissioned by The Open University has found. The analysis revealed organisations in England have withdrawn just £108m of the massive £1.39 billion they have paid into the apprenticeship levy. Meanwhile, […]

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Category: The OU speaks out