By Vivienne Russell | 29 April 2014
Public sector cuts have contributed to a massive drop off in the number of part-time students at English universities, according to the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
The quango’s Pressure from all sides report highlighted that the number of part-time undergraduates has almost halved over the last three years. Whereas there were 259,000 part-time UK and European Union students in 2010/11, this fell to 139,000 in 2013/14.
According to the Hefce report, there is a ‘strong relationship’ between public sector employment and part-time study, and the number of part-time students being funded by their employers fell by 17,000 between 2011/12 and 2012/13.
‘The decline is linked to fee increases for part-time study, difficult economic conditions and reductions in public sector budgets,’ it stated.
‘A similar pattern is seen at postgraduate level, where there has been a significant fall in the number of entrants in education-related subjects.’
The report also noted a strong relationship between unemployment rates and the take-up of part-time education. It cited the North East of England, which has seen the highest unemployment rate and the largest decline in entry to part-time education.
Hefce chief executive Madeleine Atkins said: ‘There have been major declines in part-time higher education in recent years.
‘However, trying to return to where we were in 2008 will not give us what we need in future – the economy, technologies and the wider world have changed.
‘Hefce will continue to support a higher education system characterised by quality and diversity, which helps equip students and employers to address the challenges and opportunities that face them.’
