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• Degrees aimed more at mature and part-time students rather than 18-year olds• Employers to be more involved in course design and fundingStudents who miss the top grades should not be automatically excluded from prestigious universities, under plans set out by Lord Mandelson for a major modernisation of England's degree system.All universities should consider accepting lower grades from students who show potential despite a poor home life or unambitious schooling, the business secretary, who is also responsible for universities, said."What we are saying is that nobody should be disadvantaged or penalised on the basis of the families they come from, of school they attended and the way in which simple assessment based on A-level results might exclude them," Mandelson said.The government cannot order universities to change their admissions procedures but yesterday's plan will put new pressure on them to do so.
The move is part of a major overhaul of the university system that will see a fundamental shift in degree teaching away from 18-year-olds doing three-year courses when they leave school, towards more mature students undertaking part-time degrees while working.Universities should focus more on practical training and science and engineering courses with links to industry, the document says.Mandelson was immediately accused of commercialising higher education amid fears that the tradition of liberal arts degrees could be sidelined in favour of more "utilitarian" industry-focused degrees.The framework, Higher Ambitions - the Future of Universities in a Knowledge Economy, forms a 10-year strategy for universities and has been prepared ahead of a review of top-up fees that will consider whether to increase the cost to students.It includes:• A new inquiry, conducted by the head of the Office for Fair Access for universities, Sir Martin Harris, into what more can be done at the elite universities to improve social diversity.• There will be closer links between industry and universities with employers invited to get more involved in course design and the funding of degrees in their specialist areas.• As public funding becomes more scarce, universities will be encouraged to focus on what they do best.
Research funding is expected to concentrate on the elite older universities, while newer universities will do more training and work with local communities.• There will be a consumer revolution for students with each course labelled with key facts about their drop-out rates, students' future earnings and contact hours with senior tutors.
The move will force universities to improve what they offer students.• The document describes how universities have enjoyed a "benign financial climate" in recent years and warns this high level of public funding cannot continue.
"That is why the development of a diverse set of funding streams is important if the quality of higher education is to be maintained and improved," it says.
That is widely expected to include higher tuition fees from students after the review of top-up fees.• All universities should use "contextual data" about students' backgrounds to spot potential in applicants who haven't necessarily got the top results.
The report cites one case of a student who applied to Leeds university to study English which usually demands two As and a B at A-level was but offered her a place based on an A and B at A-level and an A at AS level after considering her circumstances.
She was the first generation in her family to go to university and had attended a school where fewer that 60% of pupils got five A*-C GCSE grades."We hope that all universities will look at the examples of those institutions that already make use of contextual data, and consider incorporating it in their admissions processes," Mandelson told the House of Lords, as he published the plan."The challenge for the next decade is to offer a wider range of new study opportunities - part-time, work-based, foundation degrees and studying whilst at home - to a greater range of people."Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group of Universities, said that many elite universities are already using complex schemes to identify candidates' potential beyond their academic results.
"Last year Russell Group universities spent £45m of income from student fees on outreach and bursaries to help students from less advantaged backgrounds access their institutions.
However academic achievement continues to be the key factor in determining whether a student will go on to university."Wes Streeting, president of the National Union of Students, said: "There's no one headline-grabbing proposal in this document.
But no one should underestimate that this is a fundamental shift towards consumer elbow power, particularly from students and business."It's worrying if we send a message to students that the only courses that are worth pursuing are the ones that give financial rewards later on or have an economic utility.
The recommendations on social mobility are fantastic.
For too long universities have dragged their heels on widening participation.
This could have a transformative impact."Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, said: "The government and the opposition are in danger of creating a worrying agenda that is focused purely on trying to justify the cost of a degree."
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