1 Appointment of the
Director of the Office for Fair Access
Introduction
1. The post of Director of the Office for Fair Access
is one of the posts identified by the Government as suitable for
a pre-appointment hearing by our Committee.[1]
Following a recent recruitment exercise, the Department forwarded
to us the Secretary of State's letter confirming the name of the
preferred candidate; the candidate's curriculum vitae; and supporting
material setting out the requirements of the post and the details
of the recruitment process. These papers are printed as appendices
to this Report.
The Office for Fair Access
2. The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) was set up under
the Higher Education Act 2004 to ensure that the introduction
of higher tuition fees in 2006-07 did not deter people from entering
higher education for financial reasons and to provide a means
of monitoring universities' and colleges' commitment to increasing
participation in higher education among under-represented groups.[2]
3. The Office for Fair Access has three core aims:
- To support and encourage improvements
in participation rates in higher education from low income and
other under-represented groups;
- To reduce as far as practicable the barriers
to higher education for students from low income and other under-represented
groups by ensuring that institutions continue to invest in outreach
and financial support; and
- To support and encourage equality of opportunity
through the provision of clear and accessible financial information
for students, their parents/carers and their advisers.
These aims are primarily delivered through the implementation
of approved access agreements between OFFA and individual universities.[3]
The role of the Director of OFFA
4. All higher education institutions which intend
to charge more than the basic £6,000 annual graduate contribution
have to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the independent Director
what more they will do to attract students from under-represented
and disadvantaged groups.[4]
5. The Government's White Paper on Higher Education
Reform, Students at the Heart of the System, announced
proposals to strengthen both the powers of OFFA and the role of
the independent Director, so that it could "provide more
active and energetic challenge and support to universities and
colleges".[5] In the
information sent to candidates, the Government stated that it
wanted to see:
A shift away from assessment of inputs and processes,
to a focus on clear outputs from access activities and measurable
progress against appropriate measures and targets chosen by the
institution and agreed with OFFA.[6]
The information for candidates also stated that:
We will ask the new Director to advise on whether
OFFA's current powers are the right ones to achieve its statutory
goals, or whether some clarification or extension is required.
We have already asked for advice in the autumn following the first
round of approval of new access agreements. While ensuring that
the Director has appropriate powers and resource to promote and
champion access, we will retain the Director's independence, discretion
and duty to protect academic freedom.[7]
Job Specification
6. The published criteria for the shortlist were
as follows:
- demonstrate strategic and influential
leadership over a sustained period, operating at top-management
level in a complex and dynamic environment with developing resources;
- provide convincing evidence of successfully motivating
stakeholders and partners and persuading them to fulfil their
responsibilities, and of interaction with Government and influential
national bodies;
- manage and bring about sector-wide change in
the light of new or developing arrangements, policies and priorities;
- promote the strengths of the arguments in face
of opposition;
- communicate persuasively and publicly, with excellent
presentational skills;
- demonstrate their understanding of financial
and corporate governance standards, including an appreciation
of good practice in equality and diversity and standards of conduct
in public life;
- use his or her powers to enforce agreements that
are not being fulfilled;
- reveal a solid understanding of English higher
education; and
- operate independently within a legal framework,
and maintain that independence—taking responsibility for
their own decisions, justifying publicly the approaches taken
and withstanding robust interrogation including from the media.
7. The appointment is for three years, with the possibility
for re-appointment. The appointment will be made on a part time
basis, averaging 3 days a week and remuneration will be pro-rata
to a full time equivalent of up to £130,000 per annum.[8]
The preferred candidate: Professor
Les Ebdon
THE CANDIDATE'S BACKGROUND
8. Professor Les Ebdon has over 44 years of experience
in Higher Education. He is currently the Vice Chancellor and Chief
Executive of the University of Bedfordshire. In addition, he
is also the Chair of million+, the university think-tank, a member
of the board of Universities UK and Chair of Universities UK Students
Quality and Participation Network. Since 2004, Professor Ebdon
has been a member of the Measurement Board at the Department for
Business, Innovation and Skills and is also a member of the Department's
Further Education and Skills Ministerial Advisory Panel.[9]
OUR EVIDENCE
9. In line with the guidance produced by the Liaison
Committee on the conduct of pre-appointment hearings, our evidence
session assessed the candidate's professional competence and personal
independence. In particular, we questioned Professor Ebdon on
the following specific matters:
- What relevant expertise he
would bring to the post and in particular his record of widening
participation;
- Real or perceived conflicts of interest in relation
to both his views on the Government's higher education reforms
and a number of posts he currently holds;
- His understanding of access agreements between
universities and OFFA and the enforcement of those agreements;
- Future priorities for the Office for Fair Access;
and
- The future role and powers of the Office for
Fair Access and its Director.[10]
The Committee's view on the suitability
of the candidate
10. Professor Ebdon has extensive experience in higher
education. However, concerns about his suitability for the post
of Director of OFFA arose during his evidence and we struggled
to get a clear picture of Professor Ebdon's strategy for the future
of OFFA.
11. While he
demonstrated an all-round understanding of widening participation,
we were not convinced by Professor Ebdon's descriptions of the
root causes of the obstacles to accessing universities. Therefore,
we have to question his evidence in respect of two of the criteria
for selection, namely "promote the strengths of the arguments
in face of opposition" and "communicate persuasively
and publicly, with excellent presentational stills". We are
unable to endorse the appointment of Professor Ebdon as the Director
of OFFA and we recommend that the Department conduct a new recruitment
exercise.
12. We further
recommend that the Department ensure that there is sufficient
flexibility in the job description and package to attract the
widest range of quality applicants to the job.
1 www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmliaisn/594/594.pdf Back
2
www.offa.org.uk/about/background/ Back
3
www.offa.org.uk/about/objectives/ Back
4
Appendix 3 Back
5
Appendix 3 Back
6
Appendix 3 Back
7
Appendix 3 Back
8
Appendix 3 Back
9
Further information on these positions can be found at www.bis.gov.uk
Back
10
The oral evidence will be printed as HC1811-i and published in
due course on the Committee's website www.parliament.uk/biscom
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