Using "HE providers" and "Universities" seemingly as a synonym here is an interesting choice. FE colleges are doing a lot of the heavy lifting on both widening access and alternative routes. That work is often missed or ignored in these conversations.

I have taken inspiration already and also added my cat as my banner image.

Could not agree more on the crustaceans! Very pleased to virtually bump into another Alice PhD student whose interests are also tertiary, widening access and cats... and possibly crabs

I empathise, as someone who lost her job in early restructures in 2020 (and wasn't eligible for voluntary severance as had been on a rolling fixed term contract but that's another story...) it's horrible to see this play out at so many HEPs

Wholly agree. Prioritising the few at the expense of many doesn't seem in line with their own values. If they need more resource directed to financial instability issues then they should employ more staff, not reduce their support to providers.

Wait. They aren't all doing this??

It's a "you don't miss it (or realise it's there) until it's gone" kind of thing. So much knowledge and skill lost and still being lost.

And 300 at Sussex announced yesterday, this year is going to be a tough ride.

THIS. As Head of HE at an FE college I beg for number caps (with widening access targets to mitigate it being fit the privileged few) at every opportunity

When it's one or two, that's a them problem. When it's more than half that's something else.