In the second part of her analysis of the white paper, CIMSPA’s Associate Director of Education Natasha Schofield looks at what it means for the future of higher education.
On 20 October, the UK government unveiled its long-awaited post-16 education and skills white paper, which included what it describes as a “rebalancing” of higher education to bring universities more firmly into the nation’s skills and productivity agenda.
There is no doubt that the headline proposals on higher education (HE) in the white paper mark a notable shift. Universities in England will be able to raise tuition fees in line with inflation, but only if they meet tougher quality and outcome standards. The Office for Students will gain new powers to restrict recruitment on under-performing courses, while new measures aim to strengthen maintenance support for those from disadvantaged backgrounds, including the reintroduction of targeted grants.
However, perhaps the most profound change set out in these reforms sits beneath the surface with a move towards a unified tertiary model, where funding and regulation across further and higher education are integrated to better serve the national skills mission. With this shift, the government’s message is clear: it expects universities to play a direct role in building the skilled workforce the economy needs, not just in conferring academic prestige.
Reframing the purpose of higher education
These reforms don’t arrive in a vacuum. They reflect a long-standing tension between higher education’s traditional focus on academic advancement and the growing demand for employability and practical skill.
For students, the link between financial and time investment in their education and outcome in relation to their career is now front and centre. If tuition fees rise, students will expect to see a clear return in teaching quality, career readiness and in the value of their degree. For universities, this creates both a challenge and an opportunity to prove that higher education remains not just intellectually enriching but socially and economically essential.
For employers, meanwhile, the message is overdue. Businesses across sectors have been calling for graduates who can transition smoothly into the workplace, equipped with both knowledge and applied competence. The government’s new direction reflects this as a system where graduate outcomes and industry relevance sit at the heart of institutional accountability.
From policy to practice – what alignment looks like
The proposed reforms call for a new kind of relationship between universities and employers which is firmly built on genuine collaboration rather than consultation by invitation. Courses should not only align with national skills priorities but evolve with them, ensuring that higher education becomes a living part of the country’s economic makeup.
This is precisely where some sectors, including our own, are already demonstrating what good looks like. The sport and physical activity sector has been quietly leading the way in aligning higher education with workforce standards and professional practice.
Through CIMSPA, universities offering endorsed degree programmes are working directly to professional standards co-designed with employers. Graduates from these courses leave not only with a degree, but with eligibility for professional status. This tangible mark of competence and quality signals readiness for employment and ongoing professional development.
It’s a model that brings together exactly the elements the government now wants to see more broadly, including clear progression routes, trusted quality assurance and a focus on employability as part of lifelong professional identity.
Closing the gap for students and for society
The backdrop to this reform is sobering, with close to a million young people in the UK currently not in employment, education or training (NEET), and skills shortages remaining acute in too many sectors of industry. If higher education is to be part of the solution, it must open its doors wider, build stronger bridges to employment and ensure that qualifications genuinely translate into careers.
In that sense, the proposed expansion of maintenance support and modular learning pathways could be transformative. By giving more people the means and flexibility to participate, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, the reforms could unlock the potential of a much broader section of society.
The integration of further and higher education also carries real promise. As I explored in my last piece on the white paper, the artificial divide between academic and technical or vocational learning has held the UK back for too long. A more fluid system, where learners can move between colleges, universities and employers, building skills progressively over time, is needed. Programmes like the micro-credentials which we piloted earlier this year with Cardiff Metropolitan University could create a stronger, more inclusive pipeline of workforce talent.
What it will take to deliver
Achieving the ambitions set out in the white paper will be a complex task in a very challenging HE landscape. Universities will face new pressures to demonstrate quality, measure outcomes and adapt courses at a pace that matches economic change. Smaller institutions and those in less affluent regions may find it harder to pivot quickly or to build deep employer partnerships. This is why our local skills work is so important. We can help those HE institutions to understand local employer need and context.
There’s also a cultural challenge, because for decades, higher education has prized autonomy and breadth. Moving towards a system where government, employers and regulators have a louder voice risks tension, particularly if oversight turns into overreach. The key will be to preserve academic independence while ensuring societal relevance.
For me, the reforms’ success will depend on three things:
- Genuine partnerships between universities, employers and professional bodies, with shared ownership of curriculum design and graduate development.
- Investment in teaching and student support, so that quality improvement isn’t just monitored but meaningfully delivered.
- Flexible, accessible routes that allow people to learn and earn at every stage of life, not at the start of their career.
A sector already showing the way
As the white paper outlines a new future for universities, the sport and physical activity sector stands as a reminder that much of what’s being proposed is already possible, and it’s already working. Our approach to professional standards, endorsed higher education and digital recognition of competence offers a real-world example of how learning and labour market needs can co-exist seamlessly.
When graduates can step into roles recognised by employers and underpinned by professional status, it builds not just employability but career sustainability. It helps individuals continue to learn, grow and contribute, and it gives employers confidence in the quality of their workforce.
If higher education more broadly can embrace that ethos by combining academic integrity with practical value and professional recognition, then this reform could be remembered not as another policy cycle, but as a defining moment of higher education renewal.
The future of higher education will not be defined by how it defends its traditions, but by how well it connects knowledge with opportunity.
You can read part one of Natasha’s reflections on the white paper here.