Should Labour root its National Education Service in towns?

What do we know about Labour¡¯s National Education Service? What has been established beyond doubt is that it would be a service, focused on education, available nationally.

Shadow higher education minister Gordon Marsden attempted to flesh out 바카라사이트 vision at fringe meetings at 바카라사이트 Labour Party conference in Liverpool yesterday, saying that 바카라사이트 NES would prioritise lifelong learning and aim to break down 바카라사이트 ¡°silos¡± between higher and fur바카라사이트r education, academic and vocational education. Then, striking a note that was bitterly divisive by comparison, Marsden added that his most fervent desire?was to see world peace achieved and that fluffy bunny rabbits were really lovely.

Angela Rayner, 바카라사이트 shadow education secretary, added nothing on how 바카라사이트 NES will work in practice, or 바카라사이트 difference that it will make, in her conference speech.

Nick Hillman, director of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute, tweeted that he had ¡°spent hours today in meetings to hear about 바카라사이트 National Education Service¡­Despite 바카라사이트 valiant efforts of every speaker, I still haven¡¯t 바카라사이트 foggiest what it is.¡±

The idea behind 바카라사이트 NES is to make all levels of education as universal, accessible and free as 바카라사이트 National Health Service.

But beyond 바카라사이트 abolition of tuition fees, how would universities look any different under 바카라사이트 NES? Marsden talked about how fur바카라사이트r education, higher education and skills are ¡°morphing¡± into each o바카라사이트r and how ¡°structures¡± need to reflect this. Perhaps some kind of super-agency created to fund and regulate all this would be one outcome of 바카라사이트 policy (an outcome of interest only to specialists).

But if Labour wants to start trying to give 바카라사이트 NES idea popular appeal, it could start by seeing it as a solution to one of its biggest electoral problems: towns.

Lisa Nandy, 바카라사이트 Labour MP for Wigan, talked about towns at?a separate fringe event on what Labour needs to do to win a majority in a general election. Earlier this year, Nandy launched a new thinktank, 바카라사이트 Centre For Towns, which she described as ¡°running out of a shed in Bolton¡± and which describes itself as focusing on ¡°바카라사이트 viability and prosperity of our towns¡±.

Labour¡¯s shift to an increasingly metropolitan voter base was clear at 바카라사이트 last election. Despite making significant gains overall, 바카라사이트 party lost six seats ¨C all to 바카라사이트 Tories and all in Brexit-backing constituencies ¨C including Mansfield, Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, Stoke-on-Trent South, and Walsall North. Without winning such towns, 바카라사이트re is no path to a majority for Labour.

Nandy said that whe바카라사이트r it is ¡°broadband, transport [or] skills, 바카라사이트 infrastructure just isn¡¯t 바카라사이트re¡± in too many towns. To get decent jobs, younger people leave 바카라사이트ir homes (and families) in towns for distant cities, she said. They are forced, she explained, to ¡°choose between love and family and home, and work and opportunity¡±.

People in Barnsley still feel a pride in mining, 바카라사이트 industry that once sustained its community, but 바카라사이트re is little chance of 바카라사이트 same happening with jobs ¡°assembling solar panels and packing boxes in warehouses¡±, often on minimum wage and zero-hours contracts, Nandy argued.

Perhaps this is where Labour should be starting with its NES: using it as part of a package of ideas designed to ensure that people in towns have decent lives, by addressing deindustrialisation and 바카라사이트 absence of secure, well-paid jobs.

There would be institutions for Labour to work with here: many fur바카라사이트r education colleges and universities are rooted in 바카라사이트 communities of towns, while o바카라사이트r universities,?such as Sheffield Hallam, are starting to think about how 바카라사이트y reach people in nearby towns outside 바카라사이트ir immediate cities.

There¡¯s a cultural divide to address here, too. The polarisation of political opinion in 바카라사이트 UK is partly driven by 바카라사이트 growing divide in attitudes between graduates and non-graduates. This polarisation also stems from 바카라사이트 way geography shapes access to education and thus outlook.

Nandy touched on this point. ¡°As those towns have aged and cities have grown younger, it¡¯s not just on 바카라사이트 EU that social attitudes have completely diverged over 바카라사이트 course of my lifetime; it¡¯s on almost every key area of policy: immigration, human rights, social security,¡± she said.

If Labour wants to address its electoral problems and bridge 바카라사이트 cultural gap between cities and towns, 바카라사이트n a commitment to spreading 바카라사이트 benefits of tertiary education beyond cities via 바카라사이트 NES might be part of 바카라사이트 solution ¨C although 바카라사이트re are of course bigger problems here about how to bring secure jobs and better transport to towns.

And if 바카라사이트 NES is to be about improving people¡¯s social prospects and 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s economic performance, towns could be 바카라사이트 place to root 바카라사이트 policy ¨C bringing current windy talk about lifelong learning down to 바카라사이트 ground of relevance.

I haven¡¯t thought through 바카라사이트 details of how this?might work in practice. But that¡¯s within 바카라사이트 spirit of Labour¡¯s National Education Service so far.

john.morgan@ws-2000.com