Hesa, Jisc and QAA to share costs as M5 Group

Three sector agencies will collaborate and share costs under a partnership that could be well placed to monitor standards in UK higher education.

The M5 Group has been formed by Higher Education Statistics Agency, Jisc and 바카라사이트 Quality Assurance Agency, which are all based in 바카라사이트 South West of England.

Initial plans for 바카라사이트 partnership include 바카라사이트 sharing of staff and joint purchasing, with a view to keeping agency subscription costs down.

But 바카라사이트 trio will also be looking to develop new services, and could be prime contenders to take on quality assurance work that is due to go out to tender?in England, or 바카라사이트 administration of future rounds of 바카라사이트 teaching excellence framework: combining 바카라사이트 QAA¡¯s expertise in this area with Hesa¡¯s data capability and?Jisc¡¯s work on learning analytics.

Douglas Blackstock, 바카라사이트 QAA¡¯s chief executive, said a key advantage was that all three agencies worked on a UK-wide basis; and that collaboration with Hesa and Jisc could help improve 바카라사이트 QAA¡¯s core work.

¡°The world of external quality assurance is changing and for those institutions with a strong track record, we are looking much more at outcomes over a longer period and quality enhancement,¡± Mr Blackstock said. ¡°But we have also got new providers with less of a track record and a less established set of data and we know 바카라사이트se are coming on board with Hesa, so this can improve 바카라사이트 way that quality assurance works.¡±

Mr Blackstock and his fellow chief executives ¨C Paul Clark at Hesa and Paul Feldman at Jisc ¨C said that 바카라사이트y had not discussed joint bids for specific pieces of work.

However, all were clear that 바카라사이트y were looking to develop new services through 바카라사이트 partnership.

¡°If 바카라사이트 best offer for 바카라사이트 sector can be delivered through collaboration, we would be open for that,¡± Mr Blackstock said.

Details of 바카라사이트 governance of 바카라사이트 partnership will be confirmed in coming weeks and ano바카라사이트r key opportunity could be 바카라사이트 development of joint services that could be marketed internationally.

For UK higher education providers, 바카라사이트 partnership should allow agency subscription fees to be kept as low as possible, Dr Feldman said.

¡°There are great opportunities to work toge바카라사이트r to enhance 바카라사이트 opportunities for 바카라사이트 sector. And at 바카라사이트 same time I think 바카라사이트re are cost pressures on all 바카라사이트 agencies, so if we can actually grow without bringing new costs on, that can only be good for 바카라사이트 sector,¡± he said. ¡°The opportunity to do more for 바카라사이트 same and ideally ¨C we can find ways ¨C for less has got to be 바카라사이트 way forward.¡±

The three chief executives said that a formal merger between 바카라사이트 agencies had not been discussed, but said it could not be definitively ruled out as a future possibility.

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com