Professor Elizabeth Johnson Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education, Deakin University

Deakin University in southern-eastern Australia is a dual mode institution, providing study online for around 30 per cent of students. At present, Deakin enrols well over 60,000 students each year with the large majority (over 70 per cent) enrolling at least two years after completing schooling.

Adult or return-to-study learners make up almost all of the online enrolments, are 60 per cent of on-campus students and around 20 per cent of undergraduates. These students are returning to study after an initial degree or career, and have carer and other responsibilities. They bring a wide range of experiences and backgrounds and have varying goals. To create conditions for success, institutions need to understand their learners and celebrate the diversity amongst them.

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In 2020, around 37% of school leavers aged 18 in the UK entered HE, and around 25% of those school-leavers went on to vocational study in FE. However, a new report published on 22 April by the Social Market Foundation (SMF) and the Further Education Trust for Leadership (FETL) based on research carried out by the polling company Opinium  To read the full report from Alan Birks click on this link

MEG Colleges in London -a worthwhile read.

This blog has been kindly contributed by Dr Diana Beech, Chief Executive Officer of London Higher – the umbrella body for over 40 universities and higher education colleges across London. You can find Diana on Twitter @dianajbeech.

Should the Government proceed with plans to cut the London Weighting element of the grant funding given to universities and colleges across the capital to help cover their higher costs of operating, this will be the first time that Westminster enacts a policy that consciously underfunds and penalises London. Given the levelling-up agenda, it will also likely not be the last.

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