The Open University

OU tops list of employer-sponsored degree providers

21 April 2016

The Open University has topped a table of providers of employer-sponsored degrees in a new report published by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI). The report – Making a Success of Employer Education – was written by the Vice-Chancellor of London South Bank University (LSBU), Professor David Phoenix, and looks at the benefit of employer-sponsored […]

Mature female student with books in library

Access to higher education: ‘it’s not just for 18-year-olds’

23 March 2016

The Government is on course to miss targets to open up access to higher education, according to new research. And “they cannot afford to focus their efforts solely on 18 year-olds.” The Government has ambitious targets for widening participation in by 2020. It aims to double the number of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds going into Higher Education. But research by […]

OU Vice-Chancellor Peter Horrocks at Amity University in India.

OU strengthens ties with education in India

18 February 2016

A university group in India is calling on the expertise of The Open University to help deliver quality online education. The new agreement with Amity University will see its “world-leading expertise and learning innovation deployed for the benefit of students in India,” says the OU’s Steve Hill. Amity is a leading educational group in India with […]

Climbing up a mountain - Widening Participation

‘We wouldn’t be able to do it without the OU’

4 February 2016

“Three quarters of widening participation students say that without the Open University, they would not have been able to attend higher education at all” That was one of many stark messages delivered by Peter Horrocks, the Vice-Chancellor of The Open University, during his speech at the Widening Participation in UK Higher Education forum today (4 […]

Lifelong learning is the answer for addressing UK skills gaps

2 February 2016

A government plan to fix the foundations of the British economy and boost productivity has failed to acknowledge the benefits of lifelong learning. The Government’s ‘productivity plan’ was published last year, focusing on how to increase UK productivity and growth over the next decade and create a more prosperous nation. But a new report examining […]

Row of university graduates holding their scrolls. Image: Thinkstock

OU says Government must consider all study options

15 January 2016

The Open University has called on the Government to make sure it considers the full range of study options available to students as it develops its higher education policy. In November 2015, the Government published a Green Paper on the future of higher education, with a focus on giving students greater choice and encouraging inclusivity. The document […]

Open University strengthens ties in India

10 December 2015

The Open University has signed an agreement with Indian education provider Manipal Global Education Services Ltd to share best practice and offer their students the chance to study for a UK qualification via distance learning. Peter Horrocks, Vice-Chancellor of the OU, was in India as part of a UK Government trade delegation to raise the profile of […]

OU welcomes focus on part-time study in Spending Review

26 November 2015

On Wednesday, the Chancellor delivered his Autumn Statement and Spending Review, setting out the Government’s spending priorities over the next five years. This includes cuts to most central government departments, including BIS. Although The Open University receives the majority of its funding through student fees, direct government funding for certain activities is nonetheless an important […]

New report explores decline in part-time study

16 November 2015

A new study from a conservative think tank has explored some of the reasons behind a decline in the number of people studying part-time in recent years. The report from Bright Blue has been featured in the Financial Times and also proposes steps which could be taken by government and business to reverse the decline. […]

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