Regulator under fire as providers await registration decisions

The Ofs is right to be thorough in its assessments but needs to be quicker. The Marketisation of HE and FE has led to many providers spending too much on student acquisition at the expense of quality delivery. The sector has an over supply of places and the business model is very finely balanced which is toxic for institutions that end up with spare capacity. The sector also lacks quality business management that is able to adapt to changing market conditions. Education and skills delivery can be profitable (look at the success of many private schools) but part of this is because their activity is at the top end of a market where the products and services being sold allow for price variation. With fixed prices per student / qualification, an unfair playing field in terms of money for buildings and equipment, private providers have to be twice as efficient in delivery which is too high a bar, in most cases, to succeed