Unions & Professional Bodies

This briefing brings together national evidence on young people's awareness and understanding of apprenticeships and technical education pathways, alongside data on schools' delivery of encounters in line with Provider Access Legislation (PAL) and the wider factors that...

Many barriers still prevent adults from taking part in upskilling and reskilling, even when training opportunities exist.

The latest Applicant Index from Unite Students and HEPI reveals just how much expectations of university life have changed.

The post-war settlement that shaped modern British higher education was based on an idea, made explicit by the Robbins Report 1963, that access to university should be determined by ability, not means, and the state would fund it because an educated population and a flourishing...

With the current state of higher education in England, the newly appointed CEOs of the Office for Students (OfS) are going to have a great deal to do when they start in June 2026.

College leaders and staff unions have joined forces to warn the government of the severe consequences of continued FE funding cuts.

A survey of over 4,000 members of the National Education Union, conducted by Deltapoll, has found a damning assessment of the performance of Labour after two years in office.

Researchers have run the first experiment on a new HiLUX laser system at STFC's Central Laser Facility.

Having finally finished reading it yesterday evening, I have come to the conclusion that the one book every vice-chancellor, aspiring vice-chancellor and chair of council should read on the beach this summer is Capitalizing on College: How higher education went from mission...

Improving the evidence base on international graduate outcomes remains a key priority for the UK higher education sector.

In many countries, school evaluations take into account the average progress their students make on standardised tests relative to their peers.

There was a time when a Labour government saw independent schools as central to delivering its education strategy.

The Department for Education’s new Enrichment Framework is a welcome recognition that education extends beyond the classroom.

BBSRC invests £10 million in 21 new Fellows as part of its ongoing commitment to develop the next generation of independent research leaders across the UK.

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The paths to enrichment

18 June 2026

Especially for pupils in Years 6, 11 and 13, the school year in England ends with a crescendo of formal testing.

Labour markets across OECD countries are undergoing rapid transformation, widening the gap between the skills employers need and those that formal education systems alone can provide.

Artificial Intelligence is increasingly embedded in digital life, often invisibly shaping real-world outcomes.

Informal learning is a central yet often overlooked pillar of lifelong learning.

Across the OECD and the EU, young people in cities face particular challenges in accessing quality jobs, affordable and adequate housing, essential services, and urban amenities.

Performance metrics are meant to improve universities. But when metrics become targets, they can start to reshape the behaviours they are supposed to measure.

Supporting young people to understand and take up apprenticeships and technical pathways

Helping adults overcome barriers to training

New HEPI and Unite Students Report ‘Unite Students Applicant Index’

We have spent thirty years asking the wrong people to fund universities. It is time for a new social contract

Housekeeping and higher education regulation

FE leaders and unions issue stark funding warning to DfE

The Government fails in new polls of teachers and support staff, and Labour’s own members

New laser system delivers first experiment

How should universities respond to cuts in teaching, demographic decline and greater competition?

International Graduate Outcomes: pilot to strengthen data on global graduates

The predictive value of standardised test scores for future attainment: The impact of achievement level

Independent Schools and Multi-Academy Trusts: Back to the future?

STEM must remain part of the enrichment conversation

BBSRC invests in 21 new Fellows

The paths to enrichment

A skills‑first labour market

Empowering learners for the age of AI: An AI literacy framework for primary and secondary education

Giving informal learning the recognition it deserves

Advancing inclusive growth in cities for youth

When university metrics backfire: what REF, TEF and NSS can learn from academic gaming behaviours