Prof Anne‑Marie Kilday of the University of Northampton highlights the value of universities for individuals and communitiesI was pleased to read that the evidence is still incredibly strong that most graduates earn more than those without a degree, as pointed out in your editorial (The Guardian view on universities: public
Guardian Staff
I was pleased to read that the evidence is still incredibly strong that most graduates earn more than those without a degree, as pointed out in your editorial (The Guardian view on universities: public confidence in degrees is wavering – ministers should shore it up, 28 June). But the debate on earnings often overlooks a crucial point – widening access is one of the most effective levers for improving regional productivity and strengthening the national economy.
At the University of Northampton, our most recent assessment shows that we generate £366m of “gross value added”, a measure of economic activity similar to GDP, locally, rising to £823m nationally – more than £4 returned for every £1 of income. With the higher-education sector generating £52.3bn of income, any large-scale losses would first and foremost hit the public purse as well as further compound this country’s significant productivity problem.
Access also translates into employability. More than half of our graduates enter full‑time roles in the NHS and education. Each year, thousands of our students undertake placements in local hospitals, GP surgeries and schools, over 600,000 hours in fact – experiences that many Northamptonshire residents recognise personally, whether through a trainee teacher in their family member’s classroom or a student nurse on a loved one’s ward.
Our degree-level apprentices, meanwhile, are embedded across businesses and public services throughout the county, showing that it’s not an either-or approach to apprenticeships versus degrees. The two can coexist.
For towns like Northampton, higher-education participation is not an abstract ideal – it is a practical engine of economic resilience and civic wellbeing. Supporting access is not a cost, but an investment in thef prosperity of the places that need it most. I hope that ministers will start to make the case more strongly for the value of higher-education institutions for the opportunities they bring to individuals and the communities they serve.
Prof Anne‑Marie Kilday
Vice-chancellor, University of Northampton
