This piece is by Mark Corbett, Head of Policy at London Higher
The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper places renewed emphasis on collaboration as the foundation of a stronger and more sustainable tertiary system. It sets out a vision of providers working together to build a more coherent landscape that supports learners, employers and the wider economy. For London, this message carries particular significance. The capital’s higher education sector is already one of the most diverse and dynamic in the world, encompassing global research universities and specialist providers across every discipline. How these institutions collaborate – and how policy supports them to do so – will shape not only London’s future but the nation’s.
The White Paper makes the case for ‘more consolidation and formal collaboration in the sector, with the result that institutions will be stronger and more financially sustainable’. It also commits to clarifying how such collaboration can take place, working with the Competition and Markets Authority to ensure that lawful partnerships are supported rather than discouraged. This direction is welcome. It recognises that the competitive model of the past decade, which while successful in encouraging innovation, has sometimes worked against efficiency and coherence. Collaboration, properly structured, can help institutions share resources, expand provision in under-served areas and deliver greater value for students, employers and taxpayers alike. The proximity of our institutions is an opportunity for collaboration and a strength that no other region can match.
London Higher’s networks already provide a strong platform for this collaborative future. Through our Research Excellence, Teaching and Learning and Civic Networks, institutions are sharing best practice, exploring new partnerships and building on the diversity of London’s higher education landscape. Collectively these networks have informed key local strategies such as the London Growth Plan and the Inclusive Talent Strategy. Our work across access and participation, AccessHE, continues to connect providers committed to widening opportunity and civic engagement, engaging with over 200 schools. These networks show how London’s institutions can work together strategically to drive innovation, support regional growth, and shape a policy environment that benefits students, employers, and communities alike.
Yet collaboration must extend beyond higher education. The White Paper’s ambition for a coherent post-16 system depends on closer alignment between higher education institutions, further education colleges and employers. The launch of London’s Inclusive Talent Strategy provides a timely opportunity to turn this ambition into practice. By connecting providers’ specialisms with employers’ skills needs through the Sector Talent Boards – including life sciences, creative industries and digital technologies – London can lead a model of joined-up delivery that supports both inclusion and economic growth.
The White Paper signals a gradual reconfiguration of the higher education landscape, anticipating fewer broad generalist providers and more specialists. Some institutions may focus primarily on teaching, others on research, and some combine both in applied disciplines. Making this shift work will require a strategic, collaborative conversation across London’s higher education sector about the regional offer and how institutions complement one another. It may mean stepping back in certain areas to focus effort where it can have the greatest collective impact, aligning strengths to meet the capital’s economic, social, and skills priorities.
Such a conversation is not about restricting ambition but about maximising the value of collaboration, ensuring that institutions work together strategically to support learners, employers, and communities while maintaining their individual expertise and distinctive contributions. A key question for policymakers and institutions is how to ensure that no student is disadvantaged and that all continue to benefit from research-informed teaching, a principle that has long underpinned the strength of British higher education.
London already stands as an exemplar of collaboration across a diverse ecosystem. This collaborative strength extends into sub-regional partnerships where universities are central to local growth and skills development. Richard Keogh, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Commercial) at the University of Roehampton, co-chairs the South London Partnership Advisory Board, helping coordinate employment, skills and innovation across boroughs.
Brunel University London, Middlesex University and the University of West London are active members of the West London Alliance, working alongside local authorities and employers to align education with business needs. Through her involvement with the London Anchor Institutions Network’s working groups, Sophie Cloutterbuck, Director of London Engagement and the London Met Lab, ensure London’s higher education institutions have a voice in shaping inclusive employment practices and place-based economic strategies across the capital.
Maintaining and enhancing this collaborative ecosystem requires careful stewardship. London’s institutions are diverse, each contributing distinct expertise, yet their impact is amplified when they work together. Collaboration across teaching, research, and civic engagement underpins quality, employability, and intellectual vibrancy across the capital. Specialisation, where it occurs, should enhance these collaborative networks, ensuring that the unique value London creates continues to emerge from institutions working together as well as individually.
This is where London Higher’s long experience and success in convening can be applied to even greater effect – and we will ensure collaboration strengthens the sector rather than divides it. London Higher’s representation across the GLA Partnership Board, Innovation Board, the London Local Skills Improvement Plan, Transport for London Advisory Board, and sub-regional partnerships positions us at the centre of regional coordination. Through these structures, and through our close relationships with the Greater London Authority, employers, and civic bodies, we can ensure that London’s higher education sector has a voice and delivers on the government’s objectives: driving growth and innovation, supporting priority sectors, widening access, maintaining world-class teaching and research, and strengthening the UK’s international standing.
