The govt’s HE ‘restructuring’ doc is a mess. But as someone who works at a university in a predominantly working class area, with a high proportion of BAME & first-gen students, I’m particularly frightened by the consequences [thread]

The paper talks about the economic needs of a region. My employer is strongly rooted in its region, most of our students come from the area and stay here after graduation. What does churning 100% STEM / Ed graduates do in a region like this, when the local economy is in tatters?

Inner cities and their suburbs need students to be thought leaders in all areas. Areas like this one need Humanities graduates to be part of the area’s regeneration by offering political and social leadership

Bartley Green is not the new Silicon Valley. Most STEM graduates (if they go into the sector) will move away from the area in search of jobs elsewhere, taking their skills & their wealth with them. Meanwhile, the economy of this region does not improve

When areas like this one get shafted by govt policies, it isn’t good enough that local graduates are passive observers. The BLM movement here has been pushed by Humanities students who have the skills to challenge an entire system. And it is making a difference

This is obviously where the government’s focus on the salaries of graduates is most flawed: a lot of my students are committed to go into local projects, legal work, politics & activism because of its impact on their local world. They don’t want to work at a magic circle law firm

The real tragedy is universities in areas like this are vulnerable. We aren’t prestigious and our management will do what it needs to do to survive. But by going along with it, we actually remove whatever unique power a university has for our region

Have no doubt, this is a cultural war on places that have voted overwhelmingly against this govt. It is not, however, a boon for working class areas. Access to Humanities in HE has never been more important.