Smith Review of UK's Post-Graduate Provision Wednesday, December 9, 2009 - 18:24

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is undertaking a review of Post-Graduate Provision and NIACE invites its members and others to comment on its draft response. All submissions must reach BIS by Friday 18 December 2009 and comments are requested to Tom Schuller - NIACE Associate Director - at tom.schuller@niace.org.uk, by Wednesday 16 December 2009.

NIACE welcomes the review of postgraduate provision. Its response focuses on:

• the relevance of expertise in lifelong learning to the general field of postgraduate provision, and the capacity of universities to deliver this effectively;
• the relevance to business and employer needs, in particular as both providers and consumers of lifelong learning;
• the provision of postgraduate courses in lifelong learning/adult education as a professional field; and
• funding for part-time study.

Tom Schuller, NIACE Associate Director and co-author of Learning Through Life, said:

"NIACE sees postgraduate provision as a major part of a lifelong learning system. Increasing numbers of young people stay on to do postgraduate work directly following a first degree, but many people return to study later on, either as part of their current career development or as a means of effecting a career change. The postgraduate sector therefore straddles both initial and continuing education."

The changing labour market - especially the demographic changes - means that more people will work for longer, creating significant challenges for the postgraduate sector.

NIACE welcomes the opportunity to elaborate on any of the themes covered in its draft response (link), and looks forward to contributing to further discussions.