Press Releases

Higher education bodies 'must work together more'

14/01/2009

Barriers to collaboration need removing for Assembly Government objectives to be achieved, says Auditor General

Universities in Wales are working successfully together on a number of collaboration projects. But there is scope to do more and, in some areas, only limited progress has been made. A report, published today by the Auditor General for Wales, concludes that the full potential for collaboration in higher education - which can yield cost savings, widen teaching provision and increase research capacity - has not yet been achieved.

Although many projects are in their early stages, initial indications are that many are likely to be successful. But collaboration has been lacking in some areas and there are barriers to further progress - particularly the inevitable tensions between the Assembly Government's policy of supporting collaboration and the operation of market forces in an increasingly competitive field.

The Assembly Government has sought to increase the competitiveness of the HE sector through a policy of supporting greater collaboration between institutions, up to and including merger. By March 2008, the Assembly Government had provided over £38 million from its Reconfiguration and Collaboration Fund to support 25 higher education projects - 12 involving mergers and 13 involving other collaborations. Three substantial mergers have taken place - for example between Cardiff University and the University of Wales College of Medicine in 2004. These have made the institutions stronger.

The Fund has also led to other benefits which were not originally expected. For example, the South West Wales Higher Education Partnership was set up by Swansea University, Swansea Metropolitan University and Trinity College Carmarthen to bring together 25 administrative functions. Close relationships have been established and the Partnership is considering further projects, such as an Academy of Skills and Lifelong Learning. However, it is still too early to judge the success, or otherwise, of some other collaborative projects supported by the Reconfiguration and Collaboration Fund.

The Fund is administered through the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW). The report concludes that HEFCW is generally managing the Fund effectively and operates transparent criteria. However, in some areas there appears to be a lack of understanding of how the Fund operates and the characteristics of successful applications. Universities may be deterred from pursuing collaborative ventures as a result.

Today's report makes three recommendations to help stimulate greater collaboration:

• HEFCW should broaden the criteria around the types of project the Fund can support to include ventures with organisations outside the HE sector;
• HEFCW should disseminate information to higher education institutions on successful and unsuccessful applications, the outcome for all applications and lessons learnt from supported projects; and
• HEFCW should explore all reasonable means for helping institutions overcome barriers to collaboration - such as by working with governing bodies and senior staff and being prepared to use financial levers other than the Fund to stimulate collaboration activity.

The Auditor General for Wales, Jeremy Colman, said today:
"There is strength in effective collaboration and the Welsh higher education sector needs to do more of it to achieve the Assembly Government's aims. While some universities are working together well, the sector as a whole is still off the mark in terms of realising all the potential benefits. The current economic climate is likely to strengthen the case for effective collaboration, and the Assembly Government and HEFCW need to explore all avenues of encouragement and support and to overcome the barriers to collaboration that still exist." 

Notes to Editors:

• This report examines whether good progress has been made towards achieving the Assembly Government's policy objectives for higher education through collaborative projects supported by the Reconfiguration and Collaboration Fund.
• The Fund was established in 2002 and is available for institutions to apply for in support of collaboration projects. It stood at £14.9 million in 2007-08 and £12.5 million in 2008-09, with an expected £12.4 million in 2009-2010.
• The Assembly Government's strategy Reaching Higher: A Strategy for the Higher Education Sector in Wales was published in March 2002 and is available from the Assembly Government's website.
• The Assembly Government only has limited control over HE institutions, which are independent bodies, part-funded from non-Assembly Government sources, such as tuition fees and the UK-based Research Councils.
• The Wales Audit Office is independent of government and is responsible for the annual audit of some £20 billion of annual public expenditure.
• Its mission is to promote improvement, so that people in Wales benefit from accountable, well-managed public services that offer the best possible value for money. It is also committed to identify and spreading good practice across the Welsh public sector.
• The Wales Audit Office was created in April 2005 through the Public Audit (Wales) Act, 2004, which expanded the functions of the Auditor General for Wales and enabled the transfer of staffs from the Audit Commission in Wales and National Audit Office in Wales to his employment.