Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Equality, diversity and inclusionGraduatesRecruitment & retention

Tuition fee levy should lead to future graduate diversity

by Beth Holmes 8 Mar 2011
by Beth Holmes 8 Mar 2011

Universities that intend to charge the maximum fees of £9,000 per year will have to spend up to £900 of that income on fairer access for poorer students, boosting the diversity of future degree-educated workers.

The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) – the watchdog that will rule on universities’ applications to charge higher fees – has published guidelines showing how much universities should spend on fee subsidies and outreach projects. It sets a sliding scale ranging from 15% to 30% of fee income above £6,000. Universities that have a “low proportion of under-represented students” will be required to pay the highest levy.

Without the fair access levy, there was the danger that future generations of graduates would not reflect the diversity of the rest of the workforce. OFFA’s director-general, Sir Martin Harris, said: “We are now entering uncharted territory and none of us can predict exactly how the new higher fees will affect student behaviour. There is a real risk that disadvantaged students in particular will start to feel they cannot afford to go to university. It is therefore vital that the sector gets across the message that tuition fees are not payable upfront and that students only start repaying fee and maintenance loans once they are earning more than £21,000.”

Jim Hillage, director of research at the Institute for Employment Studies, told Personnel Today: “This is a step in the right direction – we need strong initiatives. If this means the pool of graduates is drawn from a wider diverse background, employers will have access to a higher level of talent in all forms – both in terms of academic ability and how that ability is applied, so in theory this is a good move.”

Stephen Overell, associate director of policy at The Work Foundation, agreed: “It’s a mixed picture, but diversity has clear business benefits in terms of innovation and appealing to a diverse customer base.”

But Hillage flagged up concerns that, notwithstanding the levy, fewer students from poorer backgrounds are coming through the university system. “Research shows that they don’t fully grasp what is open to them in terms of bursaries and so on – and many are put off by the notion of debt,” he said.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Both agreed, though, that workers with higher education perform better and earn more. “There is still good evidence that a degree is a financially beneficial qualification,” concluded Overell.

Read the XpertHR graduate recruitment survey, including figures on the demand for graduate recruits in 2010/11.

Beth Holmes

previous post
London Borough launched online recruitment system
next post
Government set to overhaul pensions system

You may also like

How neuroscience can unlock employee recognition

22 May 2025

Fewer workers would comply with a return-to-office mandate

21 May 2025

Redefining leadership: From competence to inclusion

21 May 2025

Consultation launched after Supreme Court ‘sex’ ruling

20 May 2025

Workers ‘wait and see’ as companies struggle to...

16 May 2025

EHRC bows to pressure and extends gender consultation

15 May 2025

Culture, ‘micro-incivilities’ and invisible talent

14 May 2025

Immigration white paper: 10 key points and reaction

12 May 2025

Why fighting the DEI backlash is about PR...

9 May 2025

So what does the election of a new...

9 May 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+