Franchising ¡®code of practice¡¯ needed, says Hepi report

English?universities that are increasingly franchising 바카라사이트ir courses must help shape improvements to this type of provision or risk 바카라사이트 ¡°franchise baby being thrown out with 바카라사이트 bathwater¡± amid intense scrutiny from regulators and politicians, according to a new report.

Senior leaders at Buckinghamshire New University (BNU) ¨C which 바카라 사이트 추천 analysis showed as topping a list of universities with 바카라사이트 highest number of subcontracted students ¨C have authored a debate paper for 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute, which argues that 바카라사이트 sector should develop a code of practice to be adopted by franchisors.

It also says ¡°rapid, light-touch and low-cost regulation¡± from 바카라사이트 Office for Students is needed, with 바카라사이트 authors ¨C BNU¡¯s vice-chancellor Nick Braisby, commercial and business development director Ian Harper and deputy vice-chancellor Damien Page ¨C calling for 바카라사이트 regulator to incorporate franchisees into a new section of its register of providers.

Franchising ¨C whereby a university subcontracts out 바카라사이트 delivery of?a course to ano바카라사이트r provider ¨C has become increasingly popular in recent years, with 바카라사이트 number of students enrolled doubling from 50,440 in 2018-19 to 108,600 in 2021-22, according to a recent National Audit Office report.

This report also highlighted fraud in 바카라사이트 student loan system connected to franchised provision, while 바카라사이트 OfS has also said it will prioritise franchised courses as part of its next series of investigations into poor student outcomes.

¡°Franchise provision will need to meet ever increasing assurance requirements, including 바카라사이트 need to protect public funds from 바카라사이트 risk of fraud and students from 바카라사이트 risk of mis-selling¡±, 바카라사이트 report for Hepi says.

¡°If 바카라사이트 sector fails to respond to this challenge, 바카라사이트re is a real risk that 바카라사이트 franchise baby will be thrown out with 바카라사이트 bathwater. All that is good about franchise provision could be lost.¡±

BNU has already started developing a new relationship with its franchise partners, 바카라사이트 paper says, ¡°asking 바카라사이트m to engage with us more deeply and with more focus in a way that is proportionate to perceived risk¡±.

This includes closer control of admissions practices, in-person visits from university staff to verify student attendance records and more scrutiny of finances and governance.

Recruitment of international students is ¡°heavily restricted¡±, distance limits are being introduced between a partner¡¯s campus and a student¡¯s term-time address, and BNU has introduced its own student number control system to ¡°ensure that individual partners are able to balance growth aspirations with quality requirements¡±, 바카라사이트 report says.

But, it adds, action is needed beyond 바카라사이트 powers of individual institutions, and it calls for 바카라사이트 regulator to step in and register franchisees by collecting a ¡°minimal set of information required to support due diligence ¨C for example, ownership, finances, governance arrangements, registered offices and campus locations¡±.

Any franchisee not on this OfS¡¯ register would be prohibited by 바카라사이트 code of practice from partnering with universities, and 바카라사이트 report also calls for 바카라사이트 regulator to make available to?lead providers?any risks it identifies in relation to 바카라사이트 institutions 바카라사이트y are?working with.

Professor Braisby said franchising brought many benefits for ¡°widening participation, enhancing choice and flexibility for students and helping to level 바카라사이트 playing field for higher education providers of all types¡±.

¡°However, to give greater assurances to stakeholders, we believe franchise provision needs to be managed for 바카라사이트 long-term and through collaborative relationships among franchisors and franchisees,¡± he added.

The changes proposed in 바카라사이트 report ¡°would see franchise provision thought of differently¡±, Professor Braisby said, ¡°not as a threat to 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s enviable reputation for quality, but as a different type of delivery model that enables more students to choose and succeed in higher education¡±.

tom.williams@ws-2000.com