A ¡°major shift¡± in policy is needed if Labour is to succeed in uniting England¡¯s post-16 education and skills system and reaching its new target for participation, a report has argued.

The joint paper, authored by Universities UK and the Association of Colleges (AoC), argues that?higher and further education are currently not aligned in meeting local and national needs, and?a disjointed policy approach from successive governments means that institutions are often in ¡°competition¡± with each other, rather than working collaboratively.

But it?says that prime minister?, whether through a degree, higher technical qualification, or an apprenticeship, represents a ¡°genuine paradigm shift in how we approach education and skills¡±.

Achieving this target ¡°requires significant policy reform¡±, and requires colleges and universities to be more closely aligned, the paper argues.?

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It says: ¡°This requires universities and colleges coming together to reflect on how we can work in partnership, and within a national system, to make this a reality. With an upcoming post-16 education and skills White Paper, there is a unique opportunity to explore what this might entail, and crucially, the role universities and colleges can play in making this happen on the ground.¡±

Funding challenges across both sectors, as well as limited resources to build new partnerships, regulatory challenges, and short-sighted policymaking have restricted greater collaboration between colleges and universities. But the paper argues that overcoming these barriers could ¡°unlock¡± the system¡¯s full potential to serve students, employers and local communities.

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Post-16 providers should be ¡°expected to work together to meet local needs¡±, it says, and providers should be involved in co-designing and delivering on local growth and local skills improvement plans.?

New body Skills England therefore provides an opportunity to ¡°create a more coherent, flexible and learner-focused skills system¡±, and should work with the Office for Students to map how existing work supports and incentivises the role universities and colleges can play in meeting skills needs.

The coming lifelong learning entitlement should also be aligned with the growth and skills levy, allowing providers to develop a regional delivery plan ¡°which reflects local skills needs¡±.?

Vivenne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, said it was ¡°more important than ever¡± that the further and higher education sectors come together ¡°to maximise what they can do for the country¡±.?

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¡°Universities and colleges are united in their mission to provide life-changing opportunities for learners, help more people get great jobs, and drive growth in their local area,¡± she said.

David Hughes, chief executive of the AoC, said: ¡°Colleges and universities have common and complementary missions ¨C to support more people to reach higher levels of learning and skills to help them in life and in work, to advance learning, research and innovation and to act as anchor institutions in supporting communities to thrive through inclusive economic growth.¡±

He said that the post-16 education system should ¡°deliver for everyone¡±, and needs to help address skills shortages, social divisions, entrenched regional inequalities and slow productivity growth.?

"By shifting the focus from competition to collaboration, we can create a system that is coherent, inclusive and genuinely responsive to the needs of students, employers and communities alike. With the government setting a new target for two-thirds of young people to reach higher levels of learning, these partnerships have become even more critical.¡±

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juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com