Education Solidarity Network » Resources

Stand by for more for-profit universities in UK

ucu campaigns — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 10:59:46 +0000

In spite of persistent lobbying by the University and College Union, not least in our recent report on the scandals in the US for-profit sector, the Coalition government seems hell-bent on opening up the UK university sector for private sector profit. BPP, which is owned by Apollo, Kaplan and Laureate have been lobbying the government to create a ‘level playing field’ (read: public subsidies that direct taxpayers money into shareholder profit). The Browne report has given them a lot of what they want, but you can read their whole manifesto in a recent report from the Tories’ favourite think tank, Policy Exchange: http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/publications/publication.cgi?id=212

UCU has tried to warn the government that it risks creating the conditions for the same scandals rocking the US for-profit sector but without success. Ideology and profits, it seems, are powerful. Read our report here: http://www.ucu.org.uk/media/pdf/k/l/ucu_subprimeed_briefing_sep10.pdf

Sharing resources on Navitas

ucu campaigns — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:28:32 +0000

Sharing resources on Navitas

Earlier this year, Navitas, the Australian private education provider announced two new partnerships with UK higher education institutions, including Portsmouth and Plymouth Universities. UCU has produced a campaign briefing which gives some background on Navitas, which you can download here: http://www.ucu.org.uk/utilities/action/act_download.cfm?mediaid=2796

In Autumn 2008, the UCU branch at Manchester Metropolitan University successfully campaigned against a similar partnership with Navitas. You can view their campaign blogpage here:

http://navitas-privatisation.blogspot.com/

INTO branch campaign briefing

ucu campaigns — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:29:07 +0000

UCU campaign briefing on INTO

This briefing was produced as part of UCU’s campaign against INTO’s plans to set up a joint venture with Queen’s University Belfast in January 2009. It was aimed at the university’s governing body.