COVID-19: UK industry focus - Where next for universities?

COVID-19 poses perhaps the greatest challenge the higher education system has seen in recent history. While the virus has upended the UK’s, and individual institutions’, operating models, it also presents a huge opportunity to accelerate change. 

Universities have had to embed agile working, build a dynamic learning environment for staff and students that embraces innovation, and align governance models to encourage new ways of working. Established approaches are having to be fundamentally redefined at pace. 

Some of the challenges faced by the higher education system pre-date coronavirus but the need to address them is increasingly urgent because of this pandemic. 

“Universities will form a critical part of the UK’s post-COVID-19 recovery if they successfully align short term financial sustainability with a clear view of long term identity and purpose in the higher education market.”

How we can help

This insight is brought to you using the capability of Strategy&, PwC’s global strategy house, alongside our PwC industry experts. Together, we transform organisations by developing actionable strategies that deliver results.

We are uniquely placed to combine strategy with technical, industry and execution expertise. We embed our strategy capabilities with expert teams across our PwC network, to show you where you need to go, the choices you’ll need to make to get there, and how to get it right.

The result is an authentic strategy process powerful enough to capture possibility, while pragmatic enough to ensure effective delivery. It’s the strategy that turns vision into reality. It’s strategy, made real.

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Contact us

Caitroina McCusker

Caitroina McCusker

Regional Market Leader, Northern Ireland and Education Consulting Lead, PwC United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)7764 331623

Sean  Hughes

Sean Hughes

Senior Manager , PwC United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0) 7590 351 974

Alison Breadon

Alison Breadon

Partner, Government and Heath Industries Risk Leader, PwC United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)7740 894817

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