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The idea of a unified ‘tertiary education’ is gaining increasing prominence in UK education and training (E&T) policy discourse. In the language of international development organisations ‘tertiary education’ is used descriptively, denoting all post-secondary E&T. However, in UK policy tertiary education (TE) is a more normative term and a politicised endeavour, relating to the development of a coherent, integrated tertiary system. This change necessitates a significant transformation of the political philosophy that underpins E&T as well as changes to E&T structures themselves.

TE means a fundamental shift from an E&T market to a system, moving away from the invisible hand of the market and competition as the mechanism for driving quality of provision and meeting emerging skills requirement. This necessitates reconfiguring the relationship between sectors and institutions from one rooted in competition for students and resources, to that of co-operation, collaboration and complementarity; whereby different sectors and institutions work together to offer a diverse range of courses that cover different social, economic and individual needs (Robson et al., 2024). This involves a shift in the role the state plays in E&T, from market regulator to system co-ordinator (Robson 2023).

‘Tertiary education means a fundamental shift from an E&T market to a system, moving away from the invisible hand of the market and competition as the mechanism for driving quality of provision and meeting emerging skills requirement.’

has shown that the market-based model has failed to respond to skills needs in an agile way, has damaged institutional relationships, has led to the homogenisation of provision, and has driven both social and institutional stratification and inequalities (Robson & Killip, 2025). Diverse, complementary pathways are necessary for access and social mobility, and more co-ordination of skills provision is critical to meeting changing economic needs and the looming adult skills crisis (Robson, et al., 2024; Robson & Killip, 2025).

Making practical changes

So, what needs to happen to develop a co-ordinated, integrated tertiary system? First, coordination must not be equated with centralisation. England has one of the most centralised E&T sectors in the world and the Department for Education [DfE] is creaking under the pressure. There is a need for regional and local co-ordination and place-based approaches to system structure and design. Purposeful place-based policy is critical for supporting both local economic and social needs through tailored E&T (Robson, 2023). This means further education (FE), higher education (HE) and employers working together to support a diverse range of local E&T pathways meeting diverse social and economic needs.

This will look different in different localities. However, developing place-based systems will almost certainly require bottom-up approaches that build on existing collaborations. This will likely require a lead organisation to drive conversations and ensure key people are involved in planning. Lead organisations and approaches will inevitably vary. Therefore, more work is needed to compare existing and emerging approaches to place-based TE across the UK and international contexts.

Second, it is essential to acknowledge that there is a group of globally oriented, research-intensive universities that are not naturally oriented towards collaboration with local FE colleges and fundamentally reject a more co-ordinated approach as threat or distraction. From a policy perspective, the key mechanism for bringing these institutions into a tertiary conversation is to emphasise the links between TE and research and innovation (R&I). Research-intensive universities are motivated by developing local innovation systems and clusters, which rely on a wide range of level 3, 4 and 5 roles. E&T from the vocational sector holds the key to success. As such, more work is needed to link place-based E&T policy with a strategic approach to (R&I), including industrial strategy. Holistic policy is needed for a holistic tertiary approach.

‘E&T from the vocational sector holds the key to success … Holistic policy is needed for a holistic tertiary approach.’

Finally, top-down, state-enforced collaboration is unlikely to be meaningful and many institutions will reject overt challenges to their operational autonomy. Shifts towards a tertiary system must start locally. This means that, as we enter a new era of E&T policymaking, the focus should be on creating the conditions for locally co-ordinated, tertiary systems to develop that are rooted in the purpose of place and involve all key stakeholders. This will require national frameworks and incentive structures rather than direct legislation. Ironically, despite my emphasis on the importance of co-ordination, a successful change to an effective tertiary system is likely to involve a more hands-off approach from the DfE to enable a more hands-on approach at the local/regional level. This means letting go of central control to facilitate real place-based co-ordination.

References

Robson, J. (2023). Can life-long learning save the UK economy. SKOPE working paper

Robson, J., & Killip, G. (2025). Written evidence submitted to ESNZ select committee.

Robson, J., Neagu, M., Sibieta L., Khandekar S., Robinson D., & James Relly, S. (2024). Comparing policies, participation and inequalities across UK post-16 education and training landscapes. Nuffield Foundation.