Colleges 2020

Article

Experts on colleges in the UK look at how current challenges might affect teaching methods, building design, the way colleges cope with a diverse student body, the way they work with local partners and how they balance meeting the needs of business while also delivering social value.

The college sector in the UK is diverse and dynamic, comprising general and tertiary further education colleges, sixth form colleges and specialist colleges. Over the next decade the sector will face many challenges. Public funding is likely to be cut but colleges will be expected to play a major role in developing the employment skills needed by the workforce to enable the UK to be competitive in global markets, while also continuing to help strengthen local communities.

How colleges respond to these challenges will go a long way to determining the shape of the college system and the nature of individual colleges in 2020.

Related items

  1. Street scene in financial district, London

    Rule of the market: How to lower UK borrowing costs

    The UK is paying a premium on its borrowing costs that ‘economic fundamentals’, such as the sustainability of its public finances, cannot fully explain. 
  2. A mother and child from behind looking out of a window

    Restoring security: Understanding the effects of removing the two-child limit across the UK

    The government’s decision to lift the two-child limit marks one of the most significant changes to the social security system in a decade.
  3. A group of healthcare professionals sitting in a staff common room in a hospital in Newcastle

    Building a healthier, wealthier Britain: Launching the IPPR Centre for Health and Prosperity

    Following the success of our Commission on Health and Prosperity, IPPR is excited to launch the Centre for Health and Prosperity.