Staff from across GHWY’s member institutions recently came together to develop responses to two consultations by the Office for Students that had a county-wide focus.  

The calls, which have implications for GHWY’s work, saw staff from across the partnership contribute to a West Yorkshire picture on the potential impact on our local area. Whilst institutions are best-placed to provide comment on their individual situation, GHWY can bring together a range of perspectives to make a case based around the potential effects on a region.  

Our response to the consultation on regulating quality and standards in higher education used evidence from across the partnership to highlight the importance of contextual factors – particularly for students from under-represented backgrounds, with multiple layers of disadvantage – alongside local labour market conditions that should be taken into account. There should be further consideration of the impact of the proposals on the HE offer available locally. 

For the consultation on the future of Uni Connect, evidence from across the member institutions and the partner schools, colleges and community organisations built into a comprehensive picture of local impact.  

A copy of either of the consultation responses can be requested from hello@gohigherwestyorks.ac.uk