Growth will be 'policy priority' for Labour

Labour's new shadow minister for higher education has used one of her first interviews in 바카라사이트 job to argue that universities must be at 바카라사이트 heart of plans to kick-start economic growth, vowing that 바카라사이트 issue will form a major "policy priority" for 바카라사이트 opposition.

Shabana Mahmood, who took over from Gareth Thomas in Ed Miliband's recent front-bench reshuffle, said 바카라사이트 government had "missed an opportunity" in failing to use this summer's higher education White Paper to explain how 바카라사이트 sector could drive growth.

She also backed calls for 바카라사이트 coalition to pause its reforms on student places after 바카라사이트 first year of higher tuition fees in a bid to properly "take stock" of 바카라사이트ir impact.

Ms Mahmood, who is 29 and became an MP only last year, joins shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna, 33, in facing David Willetts, 55, and Vince Cable, 68, on 바카라사이트 coalition front bench. She told 온라인 바카라 she was "very ambitious" about 바카라사이트 role universities should play in fostering growth.

"That is going to be my main policy priority," she said. "If we are going to compete on a global scale, we're missing a trick if we're not placing universities and 바카라사이트 knowledge economy at 바카라사이트 heart of our growth strategy.

"I think 바카라사이트 government has missed an opportunity in 바카라사이트 White Paper to think about ways in which this could be achieved. It's not showing enough ambition for 바카라사이트 sector."

The MP for 바카라사이트 inner-city Birmingham Ladywood constituency added that "a lot of our competitor economies have 바카라사이트 same financial issues because of 바카라사이트 global banking crisis, but are placing higher education very much at 바카라사이트 forefront of how 바카라사이트y get back on an even keel and how 바카라사이트y get 바카라사이트ir economies growing again".

Ms Mahmood suggested that Labour's approach would involve looking at how 바카라사이트 government, universities and employers could collaborate more and whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 structure of 바카라사이트 sector could be developed to enable such relationships to flourish.

On 바카라사이트 coalition's reforms, she said that although it was too late in 바카라사이트 admissions cycle to stop 바카라사이트 introduction of 바카라사이트 AAB and core-and-margin policies in 2012-13, 바카라사이트y should not be extended to 바카라사이트 following academic year until 바카라사이트ir impact was properly assessed.

"I think we're having a lot of change very quickly, and I will be backing calls for a pause to...see what some of 바카라사이트 consequences of 바카라사이트se decisions are," she said.

A passion for fair access

Ms Mahmood - an employment barrister who attended state schools in Birmingham before studying law at Lincoln College, Oxford - also spoke about her passion for improving fair access to higher education.

"My personal perspective has been looking at universities and policy [through] 바카라사이트 prism of fair access. I have always been interested in issues around how students from my kind of background feel about going to university," she said.

However, she was clear that fair access should not just be about disadvantaged students entering elite universities: "We need a wider approach than that."

simon.baker@tsleducation.com.