Universities held back by institutional inertia

HIGHER education in the UK is facing an existential and financial crisis. While such challenges have been framed in terms of falling international numbers or looming deficits, the real issue is far more fundamental - namely that universities are stuck with an outdated model that no longer aligns with the economic, technological and social realities of the 21st century.

- DYLAN JONES EVANS

If we are serious about creating a resilient, dynamic and inclusive economy, we must reimagine what a university is for and how it operates. The traditional university structure anchored in three-year academic degrees, slow-moving governance, and minimal engagement with industry was designed for a different era and is now increasingly out of step with the needs of students, employers and the wider economy, especially as global shifts in technology fundamentally reshape the labour market.

The World Economic Forum recently forecast that half of the global workforce will need re-skilling by next year, suggesting a wholesale reinvention of the skills required to participate in the modern economy.

Yet most universities continue to operate as though nothing has changed, offering courses often unrelated to the practical needs of employers and delivered in rigid formats that do little to support lifelong learning or regional economic development.

The result is a growing disconnect between graduates and job readiness, and between institutions and the communities they are meant to serve. At the same time, students are accruing significant debt in exchange for qualifications that do not always translate into worthwhile employment.

It is no longer good enough to tinker at the edges, and what is needed is an institutional model designed for the future. Drawing on the strengths of the former polytechnics, a modern university built around applied learning, employer partnerships and flexible delivery could provide exactly the kind of focused, responsive education now required for the economic success of this nation.